Breaking Point
by The Controlled Chaos
Summary: Everyone has their limits, and Yugi's found his. Yami has his own body and our favorite hikari has been cast aside by everyone. What does this mean for Yugi? Contains cutting. You've been warned. I think it's safe to say there are slight traces of Yaoi.
1. You've Coloured My Eyes Red

HELLO READERS!

This fic came out of nowhere really. I don't have any sort of a writing schedule so uploads _will_ be sporadic, though I'll try my best as I'm getting back in this. Generally, there are a few songs that inspire me to write and as such, I'm going to make a lyric from one of the songs the chapter title.

This chapter is brought to you by "Hush" - Automatic Loveletter and "Kill" - Jimmy Eat World

Chapter 1: You've Coloured My Eyes Red

* * *

><p>Yugi lay on his bed with his face buried in his pillows. He was trying to do anything he could to take his mind off what was going on downstairs. Yami had invited everyone over and all he could hear was laughter coming from the other side of his door. Nothing he did was able to drone them out.<p>

It seemed like ever since his darker half had obtained a material body of his own, all of his friends gravitated towards him now. Sure, at first Yugi saw this coming. Yami never had much interaction with them when he shared a body with Yugi, so wanting to spend time with him, to get to know him was expected.

What wasn't expected was that he would be completely cast aside by his best friends. It seemed like Anzu, Jou and Honda had all forgotten about him. Their focus was now on Yami, and it seemed like nothing was going to break that. What was worse is that Yami seemed totally fine with it. In the short time of this happening, the spirit made no attempt to fix it. Yugi wasn't even sure that his Yami knew what was happening, which was the worst part. It wasn't in Yugi's character at all to approach any of them and say" HEY! I'M HERE YOU KNOW!". He would just remain silent and unimportant on the occasions that they were all together.

He sighed and got off his bed. The pillows weren't doing much to muffle the sounds from downstairs anyway. He looked in the mirror in his bedroom. His had dark circles under his eyes and his skin had taken on a paler colour than usual. But his eyes were the worst. They were puffy and red from the crying sessions he had after a long day of feeling like an outcast. And the glow that came from his amethyst eyes seemed dimmer than before.

Another roar of laughter from downstairs. Yugi made his way to the window and looked outside. There wasn't a cloud in the sky and a crescent moon was making its evening appearance.

"How?" he asked the moon, "How did this happen? _Why_ did this happen? Yami gains a body and I lose everyone around me? What did I ever do to deserve this?"

He heard the door open and close. He saw everyone pile into Honda's car. It seemed like they were taking there gathering elsewhere. He crept downstairs and saw a few dirty cups and bowls that they left behind.

"_Well, I may as well wash these. It's not like I have anything else to do anyway,_" Yugi thought. He was safe in expressing his thoughts without being discovered by Yami. Neither of them used the mind link that much anymore, so it had shut down on its own.

After cleaning the mess, Yug made his way back upstairs and sat on his bed. Tears fell from his crestfallen face. This wasn't fair to him at all! If he had the choice, he would take daily encounters with Ushio over this.

"_I can't do this anymore_!" He screamed in his head as he raced to the bathroom.

The idea had been floating around in his mind and now, after all this, he was going to make it happen. He couldn't deal with the pain of being abandoned and then getting it thrown back in his face by seeing them together everyday. And it didn't look like he was going to be able to change that and be happy again any time soon. So, he would choose the only thing he had left. The only feeling that could take it all away.

The feeling of numbness.

He slowly pulled a razor out from behind the mirror where the rest of the toiletries were. He looked at it for a moment and wondered if this was the right idea. Then he remembered how everyone was tonight. They came in, made a mess and left, with no regard to him whatsoever. This was the right thing to do. He brought the razor to his arm and made four cuts across it, one for each of them. Yugi winced every time the razor tore his skin but he kept going. When he was done, he cleaned the razor and put it back. He took a look at his work and assessed himself. He didn't feel as bad as when he started and he stopped crying.

"_Well, at least I know it works,_" he thought, "_Just a few more times like these and I'll feel fine_."

He cleaned up his arm and went back to his room, making sure to lock the door behind him. He slowly crawled into bed and shut his eyes.

"Yami…Why?" Yugi whispered softly as he fell asleep.


	2. But I'm Just A Ghost

HELLO READERS!

So, holy crap! I post the first chapter last night and I never expected it to do so well in such a short amount of time. 2 reviews and a few people added it to their alert lists! Well, the good news is I don't have school next week, so hey. Maybe a few more chapters? Anyway enough of me being flattered, lets get on with this, shall we?

This chapter is brought to you by "Misguided Ghosts" – Paramore, "Sweat It Out" Breathe Carlolina.

Chapter 2: I'm Just A Ghost

* * *

><p>Yugi woke up the next day feeling groggy. After what happened last night, the last thing he felt like doing was getting up out of his comfy bed and going to school; A place where he would find himself ignored by those who he called his best friends as well as someone who he had shared his body with. He almost felt like a ghost when he was with them, transparent and invisible. But school was school and he decided that he would go for the learning, not for the people.<p>

He swung his legs onto the floor so he was sitting on his bed. He glanced down at his left arm. He actually did it. There were signs of healing, but the damage was there. Four vertical cuts on his arm, one for each of those who left him behind. He traced the cuts with the hand on his other arm. It felt weird, but in a good way. It was almost like he was in some sort of trance that he didn't want to get out of.

Then a loud knock at his bedroom door brought him out of his trance. A knock that could only have come from one other person: Yami. Yami, the one who took everyone away without even realizing it. Yami, the reason there were cuts on Yugi's arm. Every time Yugi thought about the situation, the more he hated it. He couldn't possibly get angry at Yami for wanting to be with his friends while he just got pushed aside. But he couldn't bring it up to him. No, this was a secret for him alone.

"Yugi," Came a baritone voice from the other side that could only belong to his darker half "We need to hurry. School starts in a few hours."

"Coming!" Yugi called back. He quickly changed into some black jeans, but what about the top? He needed something that would cover his cuts but wouldn't seem to suspicious to Yami. He thought about trying something he saw models do on different American clothing websites by wearing a long sleeve shirt under a t-shirt, but that seemed to complicated. In the end, he opted for a t-shirt with a hoodie. He made his way downstairs to see Yami glancing at the paper. He quickly made his way to the toaster on the counter to avoid any kind of eye contact with his other.

"Good morning, Yugi," Yami said, looking up at his light. The gentle just received made Yugi shiver to the core. How could Yami be acting so nice now after it seemed like he threw Yugi away?

"Morning," Yugi said quickly, not turning around. Instead, he pretended to keep himself busy by gathering jam and butter for his toast.

"Thank you for cleaning up those dishes last night, but you really shouldn't have. I would have gotten to them today," Yami said, curious as to why his light was acting different.

"It was nothing. Besides, the last thing I would have wanted was for Grandpa to wake up to a mess." Yugi's toast popped out a lovely golden brown. He began attacking it with butter.

"Yugi, you and I both know Grandpa is away visiting friends in France."

Yugi knew he couldn't really argue there. His grandpa left for Paris last Tuesday. And for the life of him, Yugi would never understand how he made so many friends all over the world. He had friends everywhere while Yugi lost everyone in one fell swoop.

"Well, just forget about it., Yugi said, popping the toast into his mouth.

"Is everything okay? "Yami asked with a puzzled look on his face. Yugi hadn't even made eye contact with him, "You seem a little off today."

Yugi quickly spun around with a knife in one hand and a piece of toast in the other. At that moment, amethyst and crimson collided in a gaze Yugi didn't want to break. It had been forever since Yami gave him a look like that and he cherished it, but he couldn't. It was taken from him once and so easily, he would never be able to regain it.

"I'm fine. Just a test today," Yugi said quickly.

"You'll do fine," Yami chuckled. He always found it amusing when his hikari would stress over school, "Just like you do on every other test."

"_HOLY CRAP! HE BOUGHT IT!_" Yugi never thought he would be able to trick Yami, but he managed to do it.

"Well, we better hurry or we'll be late," Yami said, breaking Yugi out of his thought process.

"Okay, let's go," Yugi was finally able to break the gaze and go grab his stuff. Soon the two were ready and off to Domino High.


	3. A Stranger In My Own Town

HELLO READERS!

Okay, I'd like to take this moment to thank you for continuing to read, review and favorite this story. Now, I'd like to address some of my reviewers.

saiyanprincess711 - Thanks for all the wonderful reviews! I'm glad you like it so far!

Sairey13 – I'm not too sure what kind of pairing this is yet. It's definitely not going to end up with them as brothers. I guess we'll just see what my brain can cook up!

Belle Bloodlust – QueenOfWords – I _completely_ agree with you on the fact that my chapters need to be a little longer, but I have some explaining to do. I write my chapters late at night, so I can get some peace and quiet that I wouldn't get during the day. I posted my last chapter at 2AM and I told myself if I don't stop now, Optimus Prime may make a cameo in this story due to exhaustion. And while the idea of the AutoBot leader running around Domino is somewhat intriguing, it's not for this story. I guess I'll just have to find someway to schedule writing sessions in. Maybe I'll write a chapter a night and then blend two into one? Anyway, I'll try to expand my chapters the best I can. Please bear in mind that I am no JK Rowling. ;)

Anywho, enough of that, on with this!

This chapter is brought to you by "Don't Let Me Go" – The Summer Set.

Chapter 3: A Stranger In My Own Town

* * *

><p>The trip to Domino High wasn't a long one, but contending with traffic was a pain in the ass. Everybody trying to get to work at once, taking chances and running red lights. Yugi and Yami were able to make it through the cars to the gates of the school in one piece, through a few close calls though.<p>

"What is with people?" Yami asked, "We aren't invisible and we have the right of way. Ten seconds for us to walk across the street is not going to kill them."

"I know what you mean," Yugi replied, looking up at his other half "It never gets old."

"Now, just remember what I said about your test today," Yami smiled softly, "You will do fine. You're always prepared for stuff like this. There's no need to worry."

Yugi looked down at his feet. He didn't think it would be this hard to lie to Yami. Even though he was doing it for cover, it didn't matter. Yami was somebody he treasured and he hoped one day he would be able to tell him everything, but not now.

"Thanks, Yami," He said quietly.

"HEY!" Came a voice from across the street.

The two looked up to see Jou running across the street. They stepped forward from the gate as he made it to their side of the road. He was panting like crazy.

"Hi, Jou," Yugi said.

"Oh hey," Jou said with a quick nod.

"_Okaaaaaay. I guess it's better than nothing,"_ Yugi thought as Jou turned to Yami.

"Holy shit!" Jou exclaimed, "I almost got turned into a pancake on the way here! A fire truck almost hit me! What's their problem anyway? I _have_ the right of way."

"You'll never learn will you?" Yami smiled and shook his head.

"What?" Jou blinked.

"Emergency vehicles _always_ have the right of way. It's our job to avoid them. That's why you see cars always pulling to the side when they're around," Yugi explained

Jou looked down at Yugi and gave a look of frustration.

"Thanks, Yug," He said quickly before turning back to Yami and they started walking into the school.

They were almost to the door when Honda pulled up in his car. He parked it and he and Anzu got out.

"Hey, everyone!" Anzu smiled at everyone. When she got to Yugi, she quickly averted her gaze back to Yami.

"How was the drive in?" Jou asked, "I almost got –"

"We know," Honda said, "We saw you and the fire truck. We were a few cars back."

"And you didn't bother to pick me up?"

"Why would we do that? You were so entertaining to watch!" Anzu exclaimed with a giggle.

Jou pouted as they walked into the school. The halls were full of people scrambling to get to their first classes.

"Okay," Anzu said, looking up at the clock on the wall "I have Advanced Theatre Techniques in ten minutes. I'll see you guys later."

"We gotta go too," Jou said, looking at Honda "Gym in ten."

"I'll see you guys after too," Yami said, "I'm going to Advanced History."

"I have – " Yugi started to say, but before he could finish everyone had walked in their separate directions. He sighed and made his way up a flight of stairs and into the Craft of Writing and Storytelling classroom.

* * *

><p>"Good morning, class!" Yugi's teacher walked into the room a little while after he sat down.<p>

"Good morning, Mrs. Zamumba," The class responded.

"Today we are going to…." Mrs. Zamumba began to write on the chalkboard. At this point, Yugi zoned out. He was already acing the course so that justified one class of daydreaming and thinking. He thought back to last night when nobody even bothered to see if he was home. And then his mind raced back to before they went to class. When did he start to become a stranger to everyone? Did they forget about everything they went through? That can't all be a blur can it?

"_Maybe it can._" Yugi thought as he looked out the window. He tried to think back to a time where he was more than a ghost to the people he called his best friends. But as hard as he tried, he couldn't. He let out a sigh of confusion.

"Not getting bored now, are we Yugi?" He snapped out of his thoughts to see Mrs. Zamumba looking his way, as well as half his class.

"No, of course not!" He replied, his face flushed a little.

"Well, seeing as the bell is about to ring, I'll let it slide," Mrs. Zamumba chucked.

"Remember," She turned to face the entire class, "Your character analysis and comparison assignments are due next week. It's just like we talked about today: Take a character from any series. Television, books, games, anything you want. Write about them and the connection and similarities you have with them."

At that moment, the bell rang and everybody shuffled out of the classroom. He was on his way to his next class when all of a sudden.

"Yugi!"

Yugi spun around to see Honda running up to him, sweaty and out of breath from his gym class.

"Oh, hey Honda," Yugi said.

"I'm so glad I found you.," Honda panted, placing a hand on Yugi's shoulder for support.

"Really? What's up?" Yugi said, a smile spreading on his face. Maybe things were turning around. Maybe he was over thinking this entire situation and maybe he wouldn't have to cut anymore.

Honda reached into his pocket and pulled out an iPod.

"Can you give this back to Yami for me? He let me borrow it for our jog today and I may not be around at lunch."

Any smile that was forming on Yugi's face was swept away in that instant. He slowly looked down to he wouldn't have to look at Honda.

"Oh. Sure thing Honda," He said softly. He took the iPod from Honda and placed it in his pocket.

"Thanks, gotta go!" He sped down the stairs without another thought.

Yugi stayed frozen for a few minutes. This was worse than being ignored. Now he was Yami's delivery boy? His started fidgeting with his right arm in irritation. It wasn't getting any better after all.

That's when Yugi felt it. He looked up in panic and back down to his arm.

The cuts reopened.

"_Bathroom,_" He thought, he darted for the nearest bathroom. He opted for the handicapped one because it had a lock on the door. Making sure nobody saw him, he slipped through the door and locked it behind him.

He approached the sink and carefully rolled up his sweater sleeve as to not stain it with blood. It looked like only two had managed to reopen but the blood was all over the place, he couldn't tell if it was two or all four. He turned on the cold water and wet some paper towels. He took the drenched paper towels and applied pressure to the cuts to stop the bleeding.

"_I really hope you guys are happy now,_" He thought. He took the paper towel away and let out a sigh of relief. Making a mental note to grab some bandages for next time, he cleaned up his arm and slipped back into the hallway.

Chemistry was boring, but it was something Yugi felt he could improve on, so he took it again. The first half of class was aggressive note taking. Protons, Neutrons, Atoms and Cell Formation seemed like too much to process in thirty minutes but Yugi managed to do it. The second half of class was a lab. It was pretty uneventful until Ushio's Bunsen Burner blew up in his face. The teacher called class over early due to the catastrophe, so Yugi made his way to the table that everyone sat at for lunch. A few minutes later, he was joined by Yami, Jou and Anzu.

"Here, Yami," Yugi reached into his pocket and pulled out the iPod Honda had given him. "Honda said he may not make it for lunch, so he gave this to me."

"Thanks, Yugi," Yami smiled, reaching out and taking the iPod out of Yugi's hand, "How was your test?"

"_OH CRAP!_" Yugi thought. This stupid cover just wouldn't leave him alone.

"I have it after lunch," Yugi finally said.

"Oh, okay. Well just remember what I said," Yami told him before turning to Jou and Anzu.

"_Okay, next time I need a cover I need to make it more out there. Global warming's a huge concern, right? Done,_" Yugi's panicked thoughts died down after that.

"So Yami," Anzu started, "We still haven't decided what we're going to do for your birthday yet."

"Look. I don't want to make it a huge deal," Yami told her, "I had plenty in the past life, there's no need."

"Don't even start!" Jou said with a huge grin, "We could go to an amusement park, a concert, or bowling!"

"_Or_," Anzu cut in, "We could go to a movie. That never gets old."

"We could always do something ourselves. Have our own party," Yugi suggested.

Jou and Anzu gave him a look of disapproval before turning back and suggesting mini golf.

Yugi looked down at the lunch he hadn't touched yet and back up at Yami, Jou and Anzu. Yami was _his_ other half. He spent all that time in _his_ body. Did they not think he knew him at all? Yami clearly didn't see the look Jou and Anzu given him. He was in no mood to eat now, he couldn't stomach anything at this moment. He got up and started making his way to the door.

"I'll see you guys later," He said. No response. Fantastic. Did they realize he left the table? "_Oh well,_" He thought as he made his way to the main offices.

"I'm not feeling well," He told the secretary. "Is it okay if I go home?"

"Hmm…" The secretary looked at him. "You do look peaked. Have you eaten anything?"

"Yeah, I ate lunch with everyone," He lied.

"Well, there _is_ a bug going around. You can go. I'll let your other teachers know you won't be in their classes today."

"Thanks," Yugi said and left the office. First Yami, now the secretary, Yugi was on a roll.

The walk back home was pretty quiet. Everyone was at work, so there was no traffic. He got inside and made his way upstairs to the bathroom. He took off the sweater and pulled out the razor. He slowly made four new cuts on his upper arm. He started to feel the agony of today melt away with each cut.

"_Well, at least I know it's working_," Yugi thought. He took some bandages and placed them over the cuts without cleaning them. After that, he made his way to his bedroom and locked the door behind him. He took off his shoes and jeans and crawled into bed.

"I can't keep doing this," Yugi whispered to himself "Yami, how could you have left me behind?"

Tears fell from his eyes before sleep finally took him.


	4. Blow The Candles Out

HELLO READERS!

Okay, 3 chapters in and I don't think I'm doing too bad so far. If anyone is confused by my chapter titles, they come from lyrics from songs that inspire me or give me ideas for a specific chapter. I feel like I'm going to end up using a really out there lyric and someone is going to review saying "What the FUCK is with the chapter titles?". So this is just a friendly reminder. :)

Was everybody okay with the length of the last chapter? It was about 1.5 times longer than the previous two. If you want them to be longer, let me know so I can throw a few hundred more words in.

And the last thing, how badass is Mrs. Zamumba? Pretty cool name too, eh? ;)

Anywho, enough of my drabble. On with the chapter!

This chapter is brought to you by "Candles" – Hey Monday, "Wish You Were Here" – Hey Monday

Chapter 3: Blow The Candles Out

* * *

><p>Yugi woke from his nap a few hours later. He started to sit up on his bed, but had to brace himself. He was using his cut arm to support most of his weight and had to switch. His Kuriboh alarm clock read 2:00 PM. Yami and the others would be finished school in another half an hour.<p>

His stomach started to growl at the lack of food from noon. He got up and after a quick stretch, being careful not to stretch his left arm too much to avoid the cuts reopening, he made his way to the kitchen. He took out a plastic cup of microwavable ramen from the cupboard. He poured water in it and fired it into the microwave. 3 minutes later, it was ready to eat. Yugi grabbed a fork and made his way back up to his room, locking the door behind him. He glanced back at the alarm clock.

"_2:10,_" Yugi thought, going over to his desk and turning on his computer "_I may as well start that assignment Mrs. Zamumba gave me_."

Yugi had always been into games, and that worked to his advantage. Since Yami got his own body and nobody paid attention to him anymore, he had a little more spare time to plough through a few more games.

"_A character I identify with and can be compared to_…." He racked his brains for someone like him "_There's Hope Esthiem from Final Fantasy Xlll. We're almost the same age. I don't really look like him, but I think I would have had the same sort of reaction if I was thrown into the Purge and became a Pulse l'Cie. Maybe a little less vengeful though. And unfortunately, we're both vertically challenged."_

Yugi began typing away at his assignment and eating a bit of the ramen he made earlier. He was almost finished when he made huge realization.

"_Nobody ended up ignoring Hope_. _Nobody left him behind,_" Yugi thought sadly, "_Lightning, Snow, Vanille and everyone else were with him to the end. No matter what happened. When he would get frustrated because of their situation, when he passed out on Pulse, when he cried in despair and even when he tried to kill Snow, they stuck by him._ _I'm the complete opposite of Hope. How could I think we were anything alike?_"

He erased the progress he made so far. He got up from his desk and walked across the room to his bed after a quick glance at his clock.

"_2:30,_" He thought, "_They just got out of school. They'll be back anytime now._"

He looked out the window from his bed. It was a beautiful day out, but the last place he wanted to be was outside. He glanced down at his left arm and then brought it up to his face for a better look. No blood managed to seep through the bandages he applied before going to sleep.

"_There's another difference,"_ Yugi thought bitterly "_Hope never cut. He didn't need to. Nobody ever abandoned him. Lucky bastard."_

He heard the door open and close downstairs, signaling Yami's return. The sound of conversation and laughter told Yugi he had brought everyone with him. Yugi was in no mood to deal with anyone so he crawled back in his bed and pulled his pillow over his ears.

"SHUT UP!" Yugi screamed into his bed, muffling his cries "Is it not enough that you left me all alone, but now you have to come and rub it in my face? I can't even leave my room without having to put up with this!"

Deciding he couldn't put up with this anymore, Yugi threw on his sweater and approached the top of the stairs. They moved into the living room. He tiptoed down stairs and made his way out the door.

* * *

><p>Throwing a pair of ear buds in his ears and putting his hands in his sweater, Yugi walked down Main Street of Domino. He went into a few different shops, but nothing really spiked his interest. He made his way further down the street until he was at the window of a cake shop. He peered inside to see cakes of every kind, every colour and shape.<p>

"_Hmmm. Cake,_" Yugi pondered, _"Maybe that's what I can do. Yami's birthday is tomorrow and I haven't gotten him a gift yet. Maybe I'll make him a cake_."

Yugi raced home to look online for the perfect cake to make for his other half. He hoped that this would be it. Maybe the cake would remind Yami that he does in fact still exist. He opened the door slowly and stepped inside. He peeked into the living room; they were watching a movie. He tiptoed back upstairs to his bedroom.

He immediately planted himself at his computer and began searching for the perfect cake for Yami. His search led him to some very strange and complicated cakes, some calling for ingredients he knew he would never be able to get. In the end he settled on a regular chocolate cake. Not as stupendous as Yugi would have liked it, but definitely doable, and figured Yami would appreciate it nevertheless. He looked at his clock again. 9:00PM. It didn't feel as late as it did, but Yugi was still exhausted. He printed of the recipe for the chocolate cake and a homemade icing and went to bed with dreams of standing over a massive cake.

* * *

><p>The next morning, Yugi awoke with a fiery determination in his amethyst eyes. He looked at the clock and realized he slept in. Praising the fact that it was a Saturday, he changed into a new set of clothes that included a pair of clack jeans and a black tank top, and left his room.<p>

"Yami?" he called through the house. No answer.

"_He must be out,_" Yugi thought, "_Excellent! Time to get started!_"

Before he went to the kitchen, he made his way to the bathroom. He removed the bandages from his arm in order to let his cuts get some air. And without Yami around, he wouldn't need to wear his sweater. He decided the best method of disposal would be flushing his bandages down the toilet. It took a good two or three flushes, but they made it down and out of sight.

Yugi brought the recipes he printed from the night before downstairs with him, as well as his sweater just in case Yami came back. He started to get everything he would need out when his stomach began to roar. He looked down at it. The most sustaining thing it had in the past day was the ramen from yesterday. Yugi quickly got two pieces of toast down and got to work.

After a few long hours of mixing, blending, pouring, baking and praying that this turned out okay, Yugi finally completed the cake. It was a messy process. The apron he was wearing was a testament to that. He even got a little creative and garnished it with chocolate covered strawberries. In white homemade icing were the words "HAPPY BIRTHDAY YAMI" and outlined in red icing The kitchen clock said 4:30, Yugi wondered if Yami was going to be home anytime soon. He wiped his face with his hand, catching icing from his cheek. He piled all his dirty pans, bowls and utensils into the sink and started to clean them.

It was only when he was totally finished cleaning up and putting everything away when he heard the door open and Yami stepped inside.

"DON'T COME IN THE KITCHEN!" Yugi screamed, quickly throwing on the sweater and lighting a candle in the middle of the cake.

"Yugi? Is everything okay?" Yami's baritone voice called out, getting closer.

"Yeah!" Yugi replied, "Everything is okay now! Come on in!"

Yami entered the kitchen and eyes his widened. There was Yugi, standing behind the kitchen table. But on the table was a massive chocolate cake with a birthday message on it just for him. A single candle burned in the middle of the cake. He looked back up at Yugi, who was sporting a huge smile. He took a few steps towards the table.

"Happy Birthday, Yami!" Yugi said cheerfully.

"Yugi, you did this for me?" Yami asked in astonishment.

Yugi nodded.

"But, this must have taken you all day to make!" Yami proclaimed.

Yugi nodded again and laughed a little.

"Yugi," Yami said, coming over to his side of the table "This is amazing! I can't believe you did this for me! Thank you so much!"

"I'm just glad you like it," Yugi's face flushed a little. His heart was going a hundred beats a minute. At last, it was all over.

"I can't wait to share this with everyone! They'll love it!"

Yugi's heart stopped beating rapidly.

Then a hammer smashed it to pieces.

And to make matters worse, a nuclear explosion blasted the pieces into oblivion.

Yugi looked down at the ground. He couldn't face Yami now. Hell, he may never be able to face his other half again. He suddenly found it hard to breathe. Tears began pouring from his eyes down his crestfallen face. He turned and made his way up the stairs.

Yugi's sniffle brought Yami back to reality. He turned around to find his light wasn't there. He heard footsteps on the stairs.

"Yugi?" He called "Where are you going?"

At the sound of footsteps climbing the stairs behind him, Yugi doubled his pace. He bolted to the bathroom, grabbed the razor and ran into his room. He caught a glimpse of Yami ascending the hallway and locked his door tight. He tore off the sweater and made multiple cuts on his already injured arm. When he felt his arm was shredded enough, he dove onto the bed and sobbed into the pillows, the sheets being stained with blood.

"Yugi?" came Yami's voice from the other side of the door, followed by a few knocks.

"GO AWAY!" Yugi screamed at the door, throwing his alarm clock at it.

The _thud_ was enough of a sign for Yami to know he had deeply upset his hikari. He made his way downstairs and picked up the phone.

"Jou?" Yami called into the receiver.

"Hey!" Jou replied, "What's up, Yami? Ready for us to come get you yet?"

"I'm sorry, but I'm not going to be able to do anything tonight. Something's come up."

"Oh, well I hope everything's okay. We'll just have to do something later!"

"Of course," Yami gave a small smile, "Thank you for understanding. Bye, Jou."

"Later, Yami," Jou said and the two hung up their phones.

Yami looked back to the staircase. What was bothering Yugi so much? One thing was certain: he was going to find out what.

Meanwhile, locked in his room, Yugi drenched his pillow in tears. His eyes were puffier than ever and he couldn't stop shaking.

"_What am I supposed to do now? It's over."_


	5. The Feeling of What He Needs

HELLO READERS!

Okay, let's have a little chit chat with a few people that reviewed last time, shall we?

Keema Lana – I too am curious about Yami's plan of action, seeing as I haven't written it yet ;). I know that in the Anime, Yugi wears a blue jacket, but I opted for a sweater/hoodie type thing. Not a clue about what he wears in the manga, so I'm just going to claim ignorance for now.

Everyone who was pissed of about the cake situation – DENSE YAMI IS DENSE! But in all honesty, I was going to talk to the few people that were fuming about the cake situation (Which was my intention ;) ) and then I check my email and I get slew of reviews at the last minute about it. So, thanks for the great reviews and please keep them coming! It's nice to know I have an audience that will communicate with me and share their thoughts so far. :)

So, what did you guys think of my throw to Final Fantasy XIII? A lot of people give me shit for liking it, but the plot is awesome. I struggled to think of a character to compare to Yugi, and Hope instantly popped into my head. Who does Yugi remind _YOU_ of? Do his homework for him and maybe I'll throw your answer in a later chapter.

But that's the future, this is NOW! :D

Oh, and just so we're clear, / / = Mind Link.

This chapter is brought to you by "No Idea" – All Time Low, "Remembering Sunday" – All Time Low

Chapter 5: The Feeling of What He Needs

* * *

><p>Yami got up early and headed downstairs. He wanted to be up and ready before Yugi so they could talk about last night. He heard movement upstairs and the shower turn on. He moved over to the stove and made two plates of eggs for himself and his hikari. He placed it on the table with toast and two cups of tea. He needed to give Yugi a reason to stay long enough to talk this out. He had just finished setting the table when Yugi walked in the kitchen. He was still a little wet from his shower and his tri coloured hair was starting to regain its shape as it adjusted to being out of the water. He was still wearing that zip-up sweater that Yami had seen him in yesterday too.<p>

"Good Morning Yugi," Yami said, sitting down.

"Hey," Yugi replied, looking at the food Yami cooked for them. "What's all this?"

"I thought we could eat breakfast together. Sit," Yami gestured to the chair on the other side of the table.

Yugi slowly took his seat. He picked up some egg with his fork and dropped them in his mouth. For the short time that Yami had been in a material body, he had managed to become quite the cook.

This was the first time Yami had been able to take a good look at Yugi in a while. He had dark circles under his eyes, and he was looking pale. Yami couldn't be certain, but it looked like Yugi was losing weight. Yugi was always skinny, but he looked even smaller than usual. But the biggest change Yami noticed was Yugi's eyes. They almost looked puffy and certainly looked like they were red before. The amethyst glow was almost completely gone from his eyes and replaced with a cold, emotionless look.

"I wanted to talk about last night," Yami started "I have clearly done something to upset you and I want to –"

"Yami," Yugi interrupted "Just forget it. It's done. How did everybody like the cake? How was the rest of your birthday?"

"Yugi," Yami gave him a confused look "I didn't end up going out at all last night. The cake you made me is in the fridge. I haven't touched it. I was too concerned with you and trying to figure out what's going on."

It was Yugi's turn to give his other half a confused look. Why did Yami all of a sudden care? He hadn't even bothered to spend any sort of time with Yugi much less cook for him. Yugi didn't want to even think about what his darker half was trying to pull. He stood up from the kitchen table.

"Well, just make sure you don't leave the cake for too long. I don't want it to go to waste."

"Wait a second!" Yami stood up "Where are you going? We were talking!"

"Yes Yami. We _were_," Yugi snapped, "This isn't what I wanted to put up with first thing in the morning. I'm going out," He made for the door.

"You never finished eating though!"

"I'm not that hungry, thanks though," Yugi replied coldly

"But – "Yami started to say when Yugi wheeled around.

"You don't need me. If you need someone, go find Jou or Anzu, or Honda. But don't come looking for me. See you later, Yami."

And with that, Yugi left the house. Yami turned back to the plates. Yugi barely touched his. Yami sighed and scooped the untouched food into the trashcan. What was going on with Yugi? Well, all Yami knew is that it was going to take more than uneaten eggs to stop him from finding out.

* * *

><p>Yugi made his way to the park. It was an early Sunday morning so there wasn't anyone there. He walked over to the swing set. The wind flowed through his sweater, chilling him to the bone as he sat down on a swing, but he got used to it after a while. He swung legs back and forth a bit so he was slowly swinging and staying close to the ground. The park was facing the water. It was so soothing for him to rock himself back and forth in the air and listen to the tide come in. It was just what he needed: Fresh air, peace and quiet.<p>

* * *

><p>Yami on the other hand, was in a very different place than his hikari. He had called everyone over to run his situation past them. They were all sitting in the living room on the couches.<p>

"….And then he locked himself in his room. And that was the last I saw of him last night." Yami concluded, "I saw his face as he locked the door. I think he was crying."

"Have we ruled out male PMS?" Honda asked.

The three of them him stunned looks, as though they couldn't believe what he had just said.

"Honda," Anzu said calmly, "This is one of those time we talked about using a filter to keep shit that stems from your brain from spewing out your mouth."

"My bad," Honda said.

"So, today I tried to talk to him, and that didn't go too well. He ended up leaving before we got a chance to talk about whatever it is that's bothering him," Yami said.

"This is a difficult situation," Honda responded, "Perhaps we should think about it more over this delicious cake that Yugi made."

The death glares he received after that comment would have made even the calmest of individuals tremble.

"I'll shut up now," Honda said, bowing his head.

"Well, we aren't going to be able to figure out anything without more detail," Jou said, standing up, "Lets go find him. I'll go check the park."

"I'll go to the school," Yami was the next to rise.

"I'll check – OW!" Honda was about to stand but Anzu grabbed him by the ear and pulled him down.

"_You_ are coming with me to Main Street. Somebody needs to make sure that you don't make things worse."

With a plan in motion, the four of them set off to find the fifth.

* * *

><p>A few hours passed and Yugi was still the park, on the swing. He was really enjoying himself. It was something he couldn't explain, but he needed it. It was like the waves were putting on some sort of show for him, their audience.<p>

"Mind if I join?" came a voice from his left. Yugi looked over and he couldn't believe who was standing there. She took a step closer, tossing blonde locks out of her face.

"Mai?" Yugi asked.

"Well, its good to know you haven't forgotten me yet," She smiled.

Yugi practically jumped out of his swing and hugged her. Mai stumbled back at the sudden embrace, but kept her balance. She wrapped her arms around the smaller youth, returning the hug.

"Hey now, I wasn't gone _that_ long," Mai said with a small laugh.

"I know," Yugi replied, "But I'm so happy to see you I just – " He backed up and looked at her, "I just really need someone to talk to right now."

"Yugi," She gave him a puzzled look, "You don't look so good. Is everything okay? Where's Yami and everyone else?"

"It's kind of hard to explain."

"I'm not going anywhere," She replied, sitting on the swing beside him and placing a hand on his shoulder.

Yugi gave her a small smile and started to tell Mai what happened. He struggled at first, but he kept going. Mai stuck with him through the whole thing. He made sure to leave out the cutting and eating less part though.

"And that's what happened," Yugi finished with a sigh.

"Well, this certainly isn't your fault," Mai started, "You have done nothing wrong as far as I'm concerned. I knew something was up when I saw you here without Yami. How have you been coping with all this?"

"_Oh fuck,_" Yugi thought, "I've just been hoping that this turns around. I've spent so much time with Yami before he got his own body, that I thought he would hang around."

"Well, I'm just happy you aren't taking this out on yourself," Mai said. Yugi's heart sank. Lying to Yami and a secretary was one thing, but lying to Mai, the only person giving him any attention, was on a whole other level.

"And besides," she continued, "It's everyone else's loss. They're missing out on being around somebody as amazing as you."

"If I was anything like you're making me out to be, this wouldn't have happened."

"Look at everything you've done," Mai sighed, "Look at what you've been able to accomplish, the places you've been, the people you've met. All this makes you so unique and special that I cant even begin to understand what's going through their heads right now."

"Mai –"

"YUG!"

The two turned around to see Jou sprinting down the path towards them.

"Well, that's my exit cue," Mai said, standing up. "Remember what I said, okay?"

"But wait!" Yugi started to say, 'What if it doesn't turn out? What if-"

"Would he be calling your name, looking for you if it wasn't?" Mai responded, "Just try not to be too vicious, okay? I know how upset you are, and I know it's not in your nature, but just try, okay?"

"I'll do my best," Yugi said. Mai scribbled down something on a sheet of paper.

"Here." She said, handing it to him "It's my new address and phone number. If you need me, this is how you can find me."

"Thanks for listening," Yugi replied, taking the slip of paper and putting it in his pocket.

"Hey, it's nothing," Mai smiled, "You just tell them how it is," She patted Yugi's tri coloured hair and set off. Jou had finally made it down the hill when Mai was long gone.

"We've been looking everywhere for you Yug!" Jou exclaimed.

"Is there something you needed Jou?" Yugi asked.

"Yami is trying to find you. He wants to talk to you," Jou replied "He's really worried about you."

Yugi sighed, trying to keep Mai's advice in mind, but finding it hard at the moment.

"You can tell Yami that I'm fine. I'm perfectly capable of going to the park without him."

"Yug, you know that's not it. He wants to talk about last night."

"If last night's all he wants to talk about, he can forget it. Nothing's wrong."

"He said you were crying, Yug." Jou said softly "Come on. You and me, we'll go talk to him together."

Rage started to fill his amethyst eyes. This was way too far as far as Yugi was concerned.

"_He told them WHAT?_" Yugi screamed in his head, he screamed it so loud that it reactivated the mind link. On the other side of Domino at school, Yami heard his hikari scream through his head. They hadn't used the mind link in so long that he wondered if it was functioning on his end.

/_Yugi?_/ Yami called out in his mind.

The message hit Yugi like a tidal wave. He hadn't used it in so long. It took a minute for him to adjust to it.

/_Oh great. This stupid thing is working again,_/ Yugi thought.

/_Yugi, please come and talk to me._/

/_Yeah right, just like you wanted to talk to me since you got your own body?_/

/_What are you talking about?_/

/_Just don't worry about it, okay?_/ And with all his strength, Yugi shut down the mind link from his side.

/_Yugi? Yugi_/ Yami called out with no answer. Seeing as he couldn't find Yugi here he decided to head back home.

"Look, Jou," Yugi said, turning his attention back to the taller boy, "I'll talk to Yami later, but don't think you need to keep watch over me for him. You can go anytime you want."

"Yug," Jou said.

Yugi looked Jou in the eyes and sighed.

"I don't have the energy for this right now, okay? I'm going home, and please don't follow me back."

He brushed past Jou without a second thought and was out of speaking range within seconds.

* * *

><p>Yami paced his room over and over. What could he have done to Yugi to make him act like this? What did any of them do? Everything seemed to be perfectly fine.<p>

That's when Yami heard the door open. Yugi had just walked in the house. This is when Yami got a brilliant idea. He quickly dove into Yugi's room and hid inside his closet, shutting the door behind him. He would investigate the room for any clues after Yugi had left. Yugi entered his room and locked the door behind him. Yami could see Yugi's sweater fly across the room through the closet door. He heard the bounce of springs meaning Yugi flopped on his bed. And then, Yami heard a sound that shook him to the core. The sound of his hikari crying.

Yami wanted to jump out of the closet and hold his light, and comfort him in any way he could. But not now. He needed to get to the bottom of this. He suddenly heard silence. Five minutes went by. Ten minutes. Fifteen. Yami slowly and quietly made his way out of the closet. He took a quick glance at Yugi's face. The boy had cried himself to sleep. Yami followed the tear tracks down Yugi's face and it broke his heart.

He started to scan the room as quietly as he could as to not wake up Yugi. It didn't seem like anything out of the ordinary was here. He got to the door when he heard Yugi shiver. He turned around to his light and approached the bed. Yugi had kicked all the sheets away the last time he slept and didn't bother to make his bed. Yami grabbed all the blankets and started to drape them over Yugi when a horrific sight made him drop them at his waist. He hovered over Yugi's left arm. Dozens of cuts were carved into his light's flesh. He brought a hand to his mouth in shock and horror.

"_Yugi,_" Yami thought in shock, "_What could have possibly upset you enough to do this? My hikari, why?_"


	6. I'm a Walking Travesty

HELLO READERS!

So, I wasn't sure about putting Mai in at this point in the story. But I felt that Yugi definitely needed support of some sort and I couldn't think of a better character to fit the bill. And I'm glad a ton of you agreed with my choice.

I want to address a review that I got and an instant message before the chapter starts:

saiyanprincess771 – Thanks for always leaving me with such great reviews. But I gotta clear something up that you wrote. By no means are those three concerned about Yugi for _Yugi's_ sake. They're acting the way they are for _Yami_. Who knows what'll happen in the later chapters though? I sure don't! ;)

thewishtofly – I was _way_ past flattered when I read your messages. You made your account for the sole purpose of telling me how much you like this story! Thanks so much! You told me you didn't know how to submit a review on a story. If you scroll down the page to the bottom, you'll see a button that says "Submit a Review On This Chapter". So now you know and you can share your thoughts about the story with everyone! :)

Alrighty then, on with the show!

This chapter is brought to you by "Therapy" – All Time Low, "Heart Song" – Automatic Loveletter

Chapter 6: I'm a Walking Travesty

* * *

><p>Yami sat down on the bed occupied by his sleeping hikari. He carefully lifted his left arm to further assess the injuries. He ran a finger up Yugi's arm, feeling where the razor left its marks. It tore his heart in pieces when his finger would dip into a crevice from the cuts. When he hit certain cuts, Yugi would wince in his sleep and try to pull his arm back. Yami took the hint and placed his arm back where it was on the bed.<p>

"_Yugi," _Yami thought, grief-stricken, "_Do you even know what you're doing to yourself?_"

As he pulled his own hand back, it brushed up against Yugi's side. He felt something that was out of place. Yami decided to investigate and slowly pulled up the black tank top Yugi was wearing. He stopped when he found what he was looking for and had to stop himself from screaming. He could clearly see and count all of Yugi's ribs. When his lungs filled with air, they were hardly able to mask them. Yami pulled the tank top back down and got up. He took a second to watch Yugi as he slept, his chest rising at falling and the tear streaks staining his face. Yami took the blankets that he placed at Yugi's waist and pulled them up all the way to his shoulders. He then turned away and left the room, quietly closing the door behind him.

Yami paced back and forth in his room, unable to what he just discovered out of his mind. Yugi was _cutting_. And it certainly didn't make Yami feel any better to think that he could be part of the reason why. He pondered on what he could have done to add to the problem.

"The cake incident definitely upset him last night," Yami thought out loud, "But Yugi can't have just started this last night. Some of those cuts look older than a day."

Yami started to think of everything he did since he was granted a body of his own. He couldn't think of anything he could have _said _to offend Yugi to the point of cutting. He hadn't _done_ anything to hurt his hikari. He had spent all his time around Yugi and his friends. He saw him at home and school too. Nothing anyone did when Yami was around seemed offensive either. And if something was bothering Yugi, he knew he could confide in him about it, but that seemed to have changed. Now that he was armed with this new information on Yugi, he would have to wait for another opportunity to speak with him, and this time he _would_ get an explanation.

* * *

><p>Yugi slowly opened his eyes after falling asleep. He brought up a hand to face to rub his eyes and wipe the tear tracks that were left on his face. Yugi suddenly noticed something was off and sat up. His hand had touched blankets on the way up to his face. The blankets on his bed were covering him completely, and not all at the foot of his bed in a pile.<p>

"_That's weird,_" Yugi thought, "_I fell asleep without anything covering me_. _How did these end up here?_"

He scanned the room for any more oddities. Everything was still in its proper place. His eyes fell on his closet and he quirked his head. He didn't put his sweater back in his closet, so there was no reason for the door to be open. His stomach started to growl mid-investigation. Yugi rolled his eyes and looked down at it. Of all the times it wanted food, it wanted some _now_? He swung his legs out of bed and his feet landed on the floor. He approached the door and turned the lock. His eyes widened at the already unlocked door.

He started putting everything together in his head. He locked the door before he fell asleep. Which could only mean somebody else was in his room when he was sleeping. The closet was the only real hiding spot and the door was already unlocked, meaning the intruder had to have come out through the door. He lost all the color in his face and his legs almost gave way when he realized the only person that would have access to his room, as well as the rest of the house.

"_No…."_ Yugi thought, panicking, "_Why would Yami sneak into my room? When I'm _sleeping_ of all times? I don't have anything of his. He must have been the one who pulled the blankets over me too. Wait, if he did that then that means…._" This time his legs actually did give way and he fell to the floor. He slowly looked at his left arm. It was in full view as the sweater wasn't there to conceal anything.

"_HE KNOWS!"_ Yugi screamed in his head, grabbing fists of tri-coloured hair, "_Oh no!_ _Why wasn't I more careful? How could this have happened? He was never supposed to find out! Goddamnit!_"

He started to take short, quick breaths in his panicked state. The next time he saw Yami, he _knew_ he would be questioned about the cuts. He'd want to know everything about why he did it. And if he found out, he would do everything he could to correct it. And when it was corrected, he could very well end up losing Yami all over again. That entire process would undo any numbness Yugi was trying to achieve and bring back all the pain.

There was only one option: Yugi was going to have to deny that the cuts were even there. He would deny it to the very end. The sweater would never leave his body when he was around people. He would even need to wear it to sleep with him. He put it on and stepped out of the room. He walked into the hallway just as Yami was leaving his bedroom. He froze instantly as amethyst eyes met crimson.

"Hi, Yugi," Yami said with a serious tone "Did you have fun while you were out?"

"Yeah. I went to the park," Yugi said quickly. He tensed up as Yami took a step closer towards him.

"We need to finish our talk, right now," Yami took another step closer so he was almost hovering above his light.

"Actually, there's somewhere I need to be right –" Yugi started to say as he made a break for the staircase, but Yami caught him by the arm. His _left_ arm.

"Not this time, Yugi," Yami stated, "We're going to finish our talk where we left off. And _this_ time," Yami swiftly pulled up the sleeve of the sweater, revealing every single cut, "_Nothing_ will be left out. I think we should start with these. They weren't there when we shared this body. Care to explain?"

Yugi's eyes opened as much as they could is shock. Now he would never be able to deny the cut's existence. He suddenly felt a surge of anger rush through him.

"You BASTARD!" Yugi screamed and grabbed his arm out of Yami's hold. Yami took a step back, baffled at the rage his light was expressing at him. Yugi unzipped his sweater and threw it on the ground.

"You snuck into my room!" Yugi continued, "What the hell were you doing in there?"

"I needed some sort of an answer to why you've been acting the way you have!" Yami fired back, not showing any signs of backing down, "And seeing as you weren't going to even bother to talk to me about it, I had to go looking for myself. And yes Yugi, I found _those,_" Yami pointed a finger to the cuts.

"That still doesn't justify hiding in my closet while I was asleep!"

"And what would have happened if I _didn't _find out, Yugi? Huh? What then? You were just going to keep this up until you couldn't do it anymore and died?"

"HA!" Yugi laughed maniacally at his darker half, "Like you care! You wouldn't have even noticed!"

"That's not true!" Yami said, starting to get confused "Yugi, _of course_ I care. You and I shared that body for years! We were closer than most brothers! What could have possibly –"

"If we were so close, where the hell have you been lately?"

"What are you talking about? We've been together ever since I got this body."

"HAVE WE?" Yugi asked, fighting back tears. All the numbness was gone, obliterated in one fell swoop. All the memories and the pain were coming back, "Sure, I've _been _in your _presence_ since you got your body. But has everything stayed the same, Yami? It seems to me like you'd much rather focus your attention on _my_ friends!"

"_THAT'S_ WHAT THIS IS ABOUT?" Yami yelled, "You're upset that I've been spending time with other people? You're harming yourself because I'm socializing with others and not you? Yugi, that's pathetic and you know it!"

"_PATHETIC_?" Yugi screeched back, tears falling from his eyes. "You weren't just spending _some_ time with others. You were spending _all_ your time with others! _My friends_! Friends that have totally abandoned me ever since you came into the picture! They wont even look my way if you're not with me! And even then, they're just trying to find out which one of us is which! Think back for me, Yami! When was the last time, apart from maybe a week after you got your own body, that we actually talked? That we spent some time together, with or without the others, that you paid me any sort of attention? Go on! THINK!"

Yami racked his brain for a moment. He certainly remembered being with Yugi in the beginning. But he struggled to find any sort of time where he remembered talking or being with his light afterwards. Yami was speechless and it was his turn to fight back tears. It wasn't what he did, it's what he _didn't _do. Yugi clearly saw this on Yami's face and gave a dark smile, unbefitting to a hikari.

"And _that_," Yugi raised his left arm, "Is why I did what I did."

"But you could have come to me!" Yami shot back. This was far from over. He may have been the reason Yugi started cutting, but he definitely wasn't the reason he never stopped, "If you would have talked to me, I would have listened! We could have worked together and found a solution instantly! But you didn't! You kept it locked up inside yourself!"

"Can you blame me?" Yugi cried, "You were so wrapped up in your own world that –"

Yugi began to sway, his eyes rolled back into his head and closed as he lost consciousness. He would have fallen to the hardwood floor below if Yami hadn't been quick on his feet and caught him midair.

"Yugi," Yami said sadly, looking at the defeated hikari, "Oh, what a mess."


	7. Feel The Peace Come Over You

HELLO READERS!

So, holy crap. Long time since a chapter right? Well, unfortunately, my break from school _has _ended and I'm back Monday – Friday. This is going to mean I write and upload chapters in any spare time that I have. Don't worry though. I'll be all done school by the end of March, so back to regular uploading then, but for now we gotta do it this way.

Let's address a few reviews, shall we?

Keema Lana: I'm glad you like the way that conversation went. That took me a lot of time and thought to write. I knew how the rest of the chapter would play out, but that one intense conversation needed to be perfect. And I'm really happy that you enjoyed it. :)

thewishtofly: No, I don't cut. I struggled a lot to put myself in that mindset to write this. But aside from that and to address another review you made, I have no idea what's going to happen next! Let's wait and see! :)

FruitSnacks: I promise I'll do my best to update once a week. School can be a pain the ass though. I'm glad you like it so far though. :)

Alright! let's find out what the hell happens!

This chapter is brought to you by "Peace Come Over You" – The Rocket Summer and "Walls" – The Rocket Summer

Chapter 7: Feel The Peace Come Over You

* * *

><p>Yami scooped up his hikari and headed for his room, taking note on how light Yugi had become. Yami's room was about the same size as Yugi's with the same sort of furniture. The only difference was the bed. Yami was bigger than Yugi, so he needed a bigger bed to accommodate his size. Yugi shivered and nuzzed into Yami's chest. Yami's cheeks flushed a bit before he realized how cold his light was. He placed Yugi gently in the bed. He removed his light's socks and jeans before he climbed in as well. He pulled the blankets up and wrapped his arms around Yugi. He closed his eyes and soon found the blissful sleep he was looking for to put his mind at ease.<p>

Yugi opened his eyes and yawned. As he came out of his sleep, he became more aware of his surroundings. He wasn't in his room, but Yami's. He was in a larger bed than his, and he felt two strong arms wrapped around him. He looked up and saw his darkness, breathing softly. He started to think back on how he ended up here. The fight and then, just nothing. He shifted his body, causing Yami to wake up. He let out a yawn before his crimson eyes locked with amethyst ones.

"Hi, Yami," Yugi said nervously.

"Hello, Yugi," Yami responded, "How are you feeling?"

"My arm is a little sore, and I feel kind of dizzy. I'm a little tired too."

"Let's talk about your arm," Yugi broke the gaze and looked away. He started to feel terrible about all of this and there was no way he was strong enough to relive the altercation that just occurred. Yami gently took Yugi's chin and brought their eyes back together.

"I'm not talking about the reason as to why they're there," Yami said gently, "I need to know how you've been caring for them. What have you been doing for them?"

"All I did was clean them and throw a few bandages on them," Yugi replied, causing Yami's brow to crease.

"I'll need to clean them. _Properly_. With some disinfectant to make sure you don't get ill. Then we can wrap them in some fresh bandages."

"As far as your fatigue and dizziness goes, I think I've found the problem," One of Yami's hands landed on Yugi's stomach, a finger tracing one of his ribs. "Yugi, you've lost a ton of weight. Have you not been eating properly?"

"I've missed the odd meal every now and then, but I don't think it that serious."

"Yugi, it _is_ serious. The fact that I can feel your entire ribcage right now isn't healthy at all. If I didn't catch you when you fainted, you could have broken something."

"Yami..." Tears started forming in Yugi's eyes, "I..."

"Shh," Yami wrapped his hikari in a tight embrace. "It's okay. I'm not going to leave you alone anymore. You're going to be fine, I promise. But right now, we need to get you back on your feet."

Yami got out of the bed swiftly to make sure he didn't let any of the warmth out. Yugi made to follow Yami, but was gently pushed back into lying down on the mountain of pillows his darkness was laying on.

"I'm going to get you something to eat," Yami told him, "I need to grab the disinfectant for your cuts too. After that, I'm going to call the school. I'm going to tell them you and I won't be there for the next week."

"But–" Yugi began to protest but Yami put a hand up.

"Yugi, you are in no shape to go to school right now. You need time to heal right now, and that's is what's going to happen. No buts. I'll have our homework dropped off here so we don't fall behind if that makes you feel any better."

Yugi seemed satisfied with this compromise and gave a small nod. Yami moved over to the table to where his deck was sitting. He picked it up and pulled two cards out of it before placing it back down.

"What are you doing?" Yugi asked.

"I said I wasn't going to leave you alone," Yami replied. The two cards in his hands started to glow. He let go of them and they stayed floating in the air. Yami stepped back as the cards began to shine brighter.

"Come forth!" Yami commanded. There was a flash of white light and two bursts of colours. And there they were. Standing before Yami were The Dark Magician and The Dark Magician Girl.

"You called, Master?" Dark Magician said with a bow.

"I need to tend to a few things downstairs. Please look after Yugi for me while I'm gone," Yami instructed.

"No problem, Master!" Dark Magician Girl looked at Yugi before looking back at Yami and winking "Leave it to us!"

"You know," Dark Magician glared, "A little courtesy, especially in the presence of our Masters, would be worth looking into, my_ student_!"

Yami cleared his throat and the two looked at him.

"It's fine," Yami told the older male, "I would prefer a more casual atmosphere anyway. I doubt Yugi is really comfortable being called "Master" as well. I won't be long at all."

"As you command," Dark Magician replied. The two of them bowed as Yami left the room and headed downstairs. Dark Magician Girl stuck her tongue out at her master behind his back when he wasn't looking. After he left, they both turned to Yugi.

Yugi was amazed at the people standing before him. He had seen images of them enough to know who they were. But he couldn't get over the fact that they were real and actually standing before him. He clued in that he was staring at them and immediately looked down, his face turning scarlet.

"Umm, hi." Yugi said meekly, before looking back up at them.

"...We saw everything, Yugi, Dark Magician said after a while, struggling not to use the word 'Master'.

"You did?" Yugi looked down again. But this time, it was from shame. He held those two so high that the last thing he wanted was for them to know about something like this, "I'm...I'm sorry you had to see that. I can't even imagine what you must think of me now."

"Yugi," Dark Magician Girl sat on the bed and placed his hand in hers "Please. You made a mistake. I make them all the time. But please, don't ever think that my teacher, myself, or anyone else in there," She nodded towards the deck "could ever think poorly of you. You're an amazing person and we are all blessed to have been placed in your care."

Yugi looked from her to Dark Magician, who nodded with a smile. He looked back at her

"Really?" he asked. Dark Magician looked at him, sharing the same smile that Yugi was wearing.

"Really," She pulled him into a hug. They stayed like that for a few moments before she laid him back on the pillows.

Yami walked in the room, carrying two plates of food and a first aid kit under his arm. Dark Magician helped him maneuver things onto the table. Dark Magician Girl got up from the bed and shot Yugi a wink.

"Feel better, okay?" She whispered to him. He nodded as she turned to face Yami beside her teacher.

"Thanks for your help, you two," Yami said, "You're free to go."

They both bowed before they started to glow. The light got brighter and with a flash, they turned back into cards. They floated back to the deck and as they did, Yugi and Yami could hear them talking.

"You know," Dark Magician Girl said, "Would it kill you to loosen up around those two? It's not like they're going to banish us to the Shadow Realm or something."

"Just because I am capable of acting proper around our Masters doesn't mean I fear them. There's a way that we must present ourselves to them and clearly, you still need some work in that area," Dark Magician fired back.

"Whatever." And that was the last that Yugi and Yami heard of them as their cards took their places in the deck. The two looked at each other before bursting out into laughter at the two Duel Monster's closing words.

"They really do compliment each other, don't they?" Yugi smiled.

"That they do," Yami replied before pulling a plate off the table and towards Yugi. It's contents were two pieces of toast and an egg.

"This shouldn't overload your stomach," Yami explained "And it should be easy to digest as well, seeing as food has been a little scarce in your system."

Yugi nodded before picking up the fork on the plate and eating. It took him a little while longer than Yami to finish, but in the end, he was able to get all the food down.

"Perfect" Yami exclaimed, taking the plates and setting them back on the table. He grabbed the first aid kit, "Now this part is going to sting a little bit," Yami retrieved a bottle of disinfectant, cotton swabs and new bandages from the box, "But it needs to get done. You could get really sick if we don't."

"I understand," Yugi said nervously.

"Okay then," Yami said when he was finished putting the disinfectant in the cotton swabs, "I need to see your arm."

Yugi presented his left arm to Yami. Yami fought back a shudder looking at all the cuts. He took Yugi's arm in his hand and slowly began applying a swab to the cuts. Yugi winced and tensed up as the alcohol burned his injuries. He relaxed again after a smile from Yami. He let out small cries of pain as the swab worked its way up his arm.

"It's okay," Yami said gently, "We're almost done."

In a few more minutes, he had finished properly cleaning Yugi's cuts. He looked at the swab. There were dots of red and some dirt on the side exposed to the cuts. He wrapped fresh bandages up Yugi's arm and tied them in place. When he was finished, he put the box and its contents back on the table.

"I'll do the dishes tomorrow," Yami said, "You're going to stay in here tonight too."

Yami climbed into bed and, after a little bit of adjusting, was lying against the pillows with Yugi curled upon top of him, his light's head resting on his chest.

"Yami..." Yugi started, "I'm...I'm sor-"

"Shh," Yami ran his fingers through Yugi's tri-coloured hair, "It's been a long day. We can talk about this in the morning okay?"

"Okay...Goodnight, Yami" Yugi said, closing his eyes.

"Sleep well, Yugi." Yami replied, shutting his eyes as well.


	8. Just Put It In Writing

HELLO READERS!

Hey, how's it going? It's been what, 2 weeks now? I'm sorry guys, but school's gotta come first. The good news is I'm all done school now so I can write my heart out. The last two weeks were AGONY THOUGH! So many assignments to hand in! The good news is I passed all my classes, yay!

Alright reviewers, let's talk.

IkutoisSmexy: I'm glad you like it. As far as this being the first fic you've read with summoning, that's the beauty of writing you own story. You go and read a few fics, and then you'll say to yourself "Hey, this was pretty cool. But _THIS _would make it that much cooler.". And that's kind of what I did. Still have no idea how it's going to end though. ;)

InsaneEvilLittleEmmy: Lol, I'm glad you like Dark Magician's cameo. :)

WingedVampireGirl: Telling me that you were tearing up in the earlier chapters tells me I've done a successful job here. That's the kind of emotion I was hoping to get from you guys when you read this. Thanks for letting me know I'm doing a good job. :)

Let's get on with the show!

This chapter is brought to you by: "The Story of Your Life" – We The Kings, "Still Alive" GLaDOS from _Portal_

Chapter 8: Just Put It In Writing

* * *

><p>Yugi yawned and blinked a few times. He glanced over at the clock. 9:00AM. He had slept in from his normal routine. He looked up and saw Yami staring down at him with a soft smile, arms wrapped around him. Yugi exhaled and placed his head back where it was on Yami's chest. Yami brought one of his hands up to Yugi's head and began running it through his light's tri-coloured hair.<p>

"Good morning, Yugi," Yami said, his baritone voice soothing to the soul.

"Morning," Yugi replied sleepily. He let out a small yawn that caused Yami to chuckle.

"Well, what do you want to do today? I've made the arrangements for school like I said I would."

"You really didn't need to that, Yami," Yugi looked back up and pouted at the reminder of no school for a week, "I'm fine."

"Clearly," Yami said sarcastically, nodding towards Yugi's bandaged arm. "That has to heal before you go anywhere."

Yugi looked at his arm and then back at his darkness. His face had changed from slightly disappointed to grim. Yami noticed this and pulled him closer into the embrace they fell asleep in.

"Look," Yugi started "Can we just forget this happened? Please?"

"Yes," Yami sighed, "...But I have one more question for you. After you answer it, we can leave this whole incident in the past."

"Okay then," Yugi pushed a little out of the embrace so he could look at Yami, "What is it?"

"What exactly did you hope to achieve by doing this to yourself?" Yami asked, choosing his words carefully "If you were upset that I wasn't acknowledging you, how was this going to help you? Hurting yourself to this extent and going to great lengths to hide it doesn't seem like any sort of way to get my attention. I just don't understand."

Amethyst eyes began forming tears as they stared into a concerned crimson. Yugi took a deep breath in and out.

"I didn't ever think I would get you back. You were so happy to be free and to have people around you again. People other than me, who you were around every waking minute. I thought you were sick and tired of me."

"Yugi..."

"So, when you stopped paying attention to me, it hurt. It hurt like nothing I've ever felt before. It was tearing me up inside, almost like part of me was gone. I needed to do something to take the pain away. I thought that if I was able to replace the feeling of you leaving with something else, I would be able to handle it. I tried replacing it with physical pain, and I started to feel numb. I thought if I kept doing it that eventually, I would stop feeling that pain anymore. But, after yesterday, it all came back and….And…." Yugi's breathing got heavier and tears started pouring down his face. Yami pulled him back in like they were before. Yugi was sobbing into his chest. Yami rubbed circles into Yugi's back to soothe him.

"I never knew how bad this was," Yami said softly, "I'm so sorry."

"And now, you know everything," Yugi cried, his words muffled slightly, "And I feel like such an idiot. Before you had your body, you were always so kind to me. How could I have thought that after everything that we've been through, that you would suddenly want nothing to do with me? And now, all I've got to show for it are these!" He clenched the fist of his injured arm. "How am I supposed to face the others like this? How are you even still here by my side? I let you down in the worst way by not confiding in you. And look what I did? I'm a monster! I'm so sorry Yami!"

"Yugi...You were placed a difficult situation. You and I both know that you would have struggled anyway you tried to resolve it. You just wanted the pain to go away. I can't blame you for that. I'll never bear any sort of malice or hate against you for that. You even put me, and what you thought were my best interests before you. You are selfless to the core and once again, I can't ever be upset with you over this. A monster? Absolutely not. A mistake perhaps, but a monster is something you'll never be."

Yugi looked up to meet his darkness.

"Re-Really?" He struggled to compose himself, "Is that what you think?"

"Of course," Yami smiled and wiped a few tears off his light's face. He brought his hand to Yugi's cheek. Yugi closed his eyes and leaned into the touch. After what seemed like a hell he would never be able to get out of, he was back where he wanted to be. He was able to resolve his situation with Yami and get some closure from everything. He felt he could stay that way forever until Yami began to speak and he opened his eyes.

"Yugi, how would you like to tell the others?"

"I...I don't know how I would even begin to explain this to them with sounding like a lunatic. When I tried to confide in them about what to do about you, they seemed to busy around you to care."

Being reminded that Yami took all of Yugi's friends away from him crushed him inside, but he kept his resolve.

"I know how we can tell them."

"How?" Yugi asked.

"Together," Yami said simply and smiled, "But right now, we should get something to eat. You probably want to shower, so if you go do that, I'll make us breakfast."

Yugi nodded as they both got out of Yami's bed. Yugi went back to his room to get some new clothes while Yami went down to the kitchen. Yugi found showering with his arm bandaged somewhat difficult as he tried his best to keep the bandages dry. He succeeded and, after changing into something new, headed downstairs.

"It's nice to see you not wearing that hoodie today," Yami said as Yugi entered the kitchen. With no need to conceal the cuts anymore, Yugi was back to wearing a black tank top with jeans. Yami turned back to the counter where he was busy preparing their meal, "Feeling better?

"A little. Thanks," Yugi replied as he sat down at the table, "Did you manage to find something for us to eat?"

"I did Yugi," Yami smiled, "Tada!"

Yami turned around with two plates in his hands. On those plates were huge pieces of the birthday cake Yugi baked for Yami. Yugi smiled as Yami placed the plates on the table and sat down.

"I figure we should do as you said and finish it before it sits in the fridge too long."

"Yeah, but cake for breakfast?" Yugi asked with a smile on his face.

"Why not?" Yami grinned, taking his first bite. His eyes widened, "Oh Gods, Yugi! This is delicious! This tastes even better than it looked! You did a wonderful job!"

"Thanks Yami," Yugi giggled "But it's just a cake. It's not a huge deal."

"Not a huge deal?" Yami exclaimed with a mouthful of cake, "This is unlike anything I've ever eaten! This is beyond being 'just a cake' Yugi! I don't understand how it's this good!"

"_If he foodgasms over this, I'm going to lose my mind,_" Yugi thought, taking a bite of cake.

"Anyway, it's not just the fact that it tastes great," Yami explained "You spent a ton of time making this for my birthday. That's what makes it even more special. And I'm even more happy that I could share it with you."

"Yami, stop it! You're embarrassing me!" Yugi mewled, his face turning scarlet. He put a hand up to his face to try and cover the flush.

"It's true though," Yami chuckled, "Thank you, Yugi. This meant a lot."

"Anytime," Yugi said, bringing his hand down from his face, which had begun to return to normal.

After they had polished about half the cake off, they had done the dishes together and moved into the living room. They sat down on the couch and Yami wrapped an arm around Yugi, pulling him closer.

"I've been thinking, Yugi," Yami began, "I've been thinking about how to tackle telling the others about this."

"Oh?" Yugi replied, looking up, "What do you think I should do?"

"_We_ Yugi. _We_." Yami reminded him, "I'm not going anywhere again. Don't forget that."

"Sorry." Yugi said, "Go on."

"Well, there's no easy way to tell something like this to anybody." Yami continued, "I doubt that I could even start talking about this without getting upset. And I don't want them to tear you to pieces if you say anything."

"So, do you have an idea?" Yugi asked.

Yami nodded and reached his hand over to the side table next to them. It came back over holding a pen and some paper.

"We're going to put it in writing," Yami stated.

"You want me-us to write a letter to them?" Yugi asked.

"Yes and no," Yami explained, "I want _you_ to tell them everything through what you write. Every emotion. Every ounce of pain and suffering. Let them know exactly how you feel with what you put down on these pages."

"But I thought you were going to do this with me!" Yugi told his darkness.

"And I will," Yami told his light, "But only you can put into words what happened. This is your story Yugi, and only you can tell it. I'll be there for you when it gets to hard. And I'll make sure you finish."

Yugi looked at the paper in Yami's hand, then back to Yami.

"Promise?"

"Promise."

"Okay," Yugi nodded. He took the paper and pen from Yami and set them in front of him on his lap. Yami pulled him closer as Yugi's hand took the pen and made it dance across the page. A few times, he had to stop and collect himself. But Yami being there made it that much easier. A while later, he finished and handed it to Yami, who folded it and put it in his pocket.

"Perfect," Yami told Yugi, "I'll give this to them on their lunch break tomorrow. I'm very proud of you, Yugi. That mustn't have been easy."

"No," Yugi shook his head, "But having you here made it that much easier."

"Well," Yami felt a surge of pride rush through him, "I'm not going anywhere Yugi. You can count on me anytime for anything."

"I know Yami," Yugi smiled and placed his head on Yami's chest, "I know."


	9. The Things We Swore We Meant

HELLO READERS!

Welcome back! How was everyone's Easter? Did we all gain 20 pounds from chocolate, or was that just me? ;)

Okay! I've mapped out most of the rest of the story, and it looks like there are only going to be 2 – maybe 4 more chapters. But the good news is I KIND OF have an idea how this story is going to end. Is everyone ready for an upcoming twist?

So, lets address some reviews, like we always do!

WingedVampireGirl: I'm thrilled this was able to make your day! I'm happy that you're going to keep reviewing too!

Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret: Did you read my mind and figure this story out before I did? ;)

Okay, here we go!

This chapter is brought to you by "Here We Go Again" - Paramore

Chapter 9: The Things We Swore We Meant

* * *

><p>"Come on! There must be something around here!" Yami whined, tossing various things out of a cupboard in the kitchen<p>

"I told you yesterday to save some of that cake for today, and now look!" Yugi giggled, dodging a jar of cinnamon.

Yami was frantic and starving. He had spent so much time looking after Yugi that he had no time to go and get groceries. He had polished off the last of his birthday cake as a snack the night before, leaving nothing edible in the house. He scrambled from the cupboard to the freezer. And from there to the pantry, and then the fridge. He turned to Yugi.

"You have no idea how much I hate having no food in the house!"

"Well, that's what you get for eating almost an _entire _cake. You should have saved some."

"BUT _IT WAS SO GOOD_! IT WAS _AMAZING! _IT WAS _MAGICAL_! IT WAS – "

"Yami," Yugi raised a hand to his darkness, "If you keep going on about how great that cake was, I'll never put on an apron again. And that means no more cake for you."

Yami instantly calmed down. His light's cake making skills was right up there with dueling for souls on his importance list. Yugi grabbed a pen and paper, and after looking around all the open cabinets, started to scribble a grocery list.

"Here. He said, handing it to Yami "Is there anything else we need?"

"You're missing cake mix."

"Is my name 'Cake Wench' or something?"

"I can't help it! That cake was– "

"What did I say? And besides, I made it from scratch. I didn't use any cake mix. "Yugi smiled, "Now, is there anything missing on that list?"

"Nope," Yami scanned the list up and down, "Nothing I can think of."

"Alright then. We need to go shopping," Yugi spun around and starting walking out of the kitchen "I'll grab my coat and we can get going."

"Hold it!" Yami grabbed Yugi's shoulders, making him turn back around "That's not happening. You still aren't well enough to leave the house yet."

"Oh come on! I'm fine! And the coat will cover the bandages!"

"We're not taking any chances, Yugi, and that's final."

"Fine...I just don't want to be left alone again."

"And what makes you think I'd do that?" Yami grinned. A flash came from his bedroom. Yugi looked back at him wide-eyed.

"They're back?"

"Of course. I wouldn't trust anyone else when it comes to looking after you. That's okay, right?"

"Of course it is!" Yugi exclaimed.

"Wonderful! Now while I'm out," Yami said, rummaging through his pocket and pulling out Yugi's letter "I'm going to deliver this. Is that okay?"

Yugi looked at the note, then back at Yami and nodded.

"Alright. I better get going. I'll see you in a bit!" Yami said, heading for the door and leaving the house.

Yugi looked around the kitchen. Everything from ice trays to spices were all over the place thanks to Yami's unsuccessful raid.

"_This isn't going to clean itself,_" Yugi thought to himself. Then he remembered what was waiting for him upstairs, "_Screw it. Yami made the mess,_" And with that, he bolted up the stairs to see two people he cherished so much.

* * *

><p>"<em>Oh crap,<em>" Yami thought to himself, walking down the street, "_This list Yugi made is massive! There's no way I can carry all of this home! Maybe I can get a ride from Honda. It's almost time for their lunch break anyway._"

The clock tower chiming confirmed Yami's lunchtime theory and set out for the school. It seemed like lunch hour traffic was worse than it was in the morning, and after almost getting hit twice, he made it to the school parking lot where Jou, Anzu and Honda were eating lunch by Honda's car.

"Well, look who's back!" Jou exclaimed, "Yami, what the hell happened to you?"

"Hey, everyone," Yami said softly, feeling kind of anxious about what he had to do.

"Yami, is everything okay?" Anzu asked, noting her friend's expression. She put down her drink and crossed her arms.

"Yeah," Honda chimed in, "Who died?"

They all just looked at him with dumbfounded looks on their faces. Anzu's mouth was hanging open until she snapped out of it. She picked her drink back up and poured it on Honda's head with no hesitation. It was so quick that Honda couldn't avoid it. Everyone's faces went blanker than before.

"One day," She declared, "We are going to install some sort of microchip into your brain that will filter all the garbage from coming out of your mouth. Now," She turned back to Yami, "What's going on?"

"Here," Yami pulled the letter out of his pocket and held it out to them, "This is for you, from Yugi."

"Yugi?" Jou said, taking the letter and opening it up. Honda and Anzu came to either side so they could read it as well.

_Dear Jou, Anzu and Honda,_

_There's no simple way to explain what's going on right now. You three are my best friends and I want to be as direct with you as I can. You deserve that. _

_I haven't been taking Yami getting his own body well. Don't get me wrong, I'm thrilled that he has his own body and can live like we can. But somewhere along the line, I felt like I was tossed aside. And not just by Yami, by you three as well. I could never have a conversation with any of you without being totally ignored any time he came along. It really hurt, and it got to the point where I took some drastic measures to make the pain stop. I started cutting and subconsciously starving myself to cope._

_For a while, it worked. I was content with everything. I had started distancing myself more to help it hurt less. Then Yami found out and confronted me about it. And that's when any walls I had tumbled down. He's been taking care of me ever since and I'm slowly coming around. We won't be around for about a week, but I wanted to let you know why we were gone in the first place._

_I hope that this doesn't freak you out and that we can all still be friends afterwards._

_Sincerely,_

_Yugi_

"Wow..." Jou blinked up at Yami.

"I'll admit that we've spent more time with you lately," Anzu said, re-reading everything, "But to go _that_ far? If I had known I would have –"

"There's no point in thinking like that now," Yami said sadly, "It's done. All we can do is be there for him during the rest of his recovery."

"Hey guys!" Came a voice from the other side of the parking lot. They all turned to see Ryou and Malik, who had been out of the country on an exchange program, coming their way.

"How's it going?" Ryou asked when they finally reached the others.

"Been better," Yami said, "How was the exchange class?"

"Two weeks really fly by, don't they?" Malik exclaimed, "Honestly, I think we'd both do it again in a heartbeat. I've never been to England and he's never been to Egypt. So it was really cool!"

"Wait," Jou said, "If you two are back, then that means that – "

"Unfortunately, yes. We're back too," Came a snarl from behind them. They all spun around to see Marik and Bakura standing there.

"Well, this is some welcome wagon," Marik sneered. He turned to Yami, "And where's your hikari? I can't really stand mine, but I make sure he's around at all times."

"Believe me," Malik rolled his eyes, "The feeling is sometimes mutual."

Anzu grabbed Yugi's letter, folded it and stuffed it in her purse. Marik took note of her movement but never averted his gaze.

"What business of it is yours where _my_ hikari is?" Yami stepped towards Marik, "Yugi is his own person and is allowed to go wherever he pleases."

"Whatever," Marik shrugged, "Come on Bakura. It's obvious that we aren't wanted here."

* * *

><p>The two left the group of six in the parking lot and entered the school. Once they were out of sight, Marik turned to Bakura and pulled out a fifty-dollar bill.<p>

"I need a favour," He said, "You in?"

"That all depends," Bakura smirked, "What is it?"

* * *

><p>"They both really freak me out sometimes," Anzu shuddered. The group had moved a picnic table outside to try and further themselves a little more from the two Yami's. She turned to Ryou, "Bakura is okay at the most, but Marik?" She turned to Malik, "He freaks the shit out of me!"<p>

"Well don't let him hear you say that," Malik warned, "You'll be in for trouble if ever found out."

"I think it's pretty obvious that I can't stand them. And don't worry, I'll have no problem dealing with his crap. Just look at Honda."

Honda went red and looked away. Everybody started to laugh. Yami turned to Honda.

"Hey," He started, "Would you mind giving me a lift to my house after? I've gotta go and do groceries for Yugi and I. There's not really any food in the house and I can't carry everything back myself."

"We can help you!" Ryou exclaimed, "Everyone from the exchange program was excused for the rest of the week, so we really don't have anything to do."

"Anything's better than going back home to that," Malik grinned.

"Alright," Yami chuckled, "I can definitely see your point. And besides, if there's one thing I hate doing, it's grocery shopping. It'll go a lot quicker with more people helping me."

"Hey Yami," Malik asked, "Where exactly is Yugi? He wasn't with you guys earlier. That's kind of out of place for him. Everything okay?"

"How about I tell you later, okay?" Yami said, looking at Honda, Jou and Anzu's faces.

"Okay then."

A piercing wail broke the conversation. The six of them looked in every direction to try and find the source. People rushed out of the school in a panic.

"Fire!" They heard someone scream as they ran past the picnic table.

The six of them got up and looked at the building for any signs of a fire. During the commotion, they didn't notice a pale white hand stick itself into Anzu's purse and pull out Yugi's letter.

"We better move away. I don't wanna be part of a freak accident." Honda exclaimed.

* * *

><p>They all ran across the street and joined their classmates. Meanwhile at the other side of the building, Marik and Bakura were watching it.<p>

"Pulling the fire alarm? A little standard for you isn't it?" Marik smirked, turning to Bakura.

"Who said anything about pulling an alarm?" Bakura replied, "That's what the lunch ladies get for actually doing a casserole week!"

"In any case," Marik laughed and pulled out the money from his pocket, "Were you successful?"

"Naturally," Bakura pulled out the letter and they traded.

"Now let's see what the huge secret is about Yugi," Marik said as he unfolded the letter. His eyes widened and a grin spread onto his face as he scanned the page, "This is _wonderful_!" He spun on his heels and began to walk away.

"Hang on!" Bakura called, "Where are you going?"

"Oh," Marik's smirk grew wider, "I need to pay an old friend a visit."


	10. On Cold Wings, He's Coming

HELLO READERS!

How's everybody doing? Good? Good. Better than Yugi is going to be soon, I hope. Oh yeah, I'm patting myself on the back for this twist. 10 chapters already, I can't believe it.

Alright reviewers! Where you at?

WingedVampireGirl – I'm glad you like the last chapter. If you think I left you hanging on a cliff, just wait on what's going to happen next. ;)

Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret – Marik will definitely play the role of antagonist in the future chapters. I don't see Bakura being as evil as Marik though. He's more of a wild card. Someone who will do anything for anyone as long as there is a reward.

ALL OTHER REVIEWERS – Thank you for reviewing! I really appreciate it! I'll try and hurry with the next chapter as soon as I can! I promise! :)

What's gonna happen next? Let's find out!

This chapter is brought to you by "Ice Queen" – Within Temptation (Disclaimer: THIS IS THE FIRST TIME I'M ALTERING A LYRIC TO FIT THE TITLE OF A CHAPTER. MARIK IS A GUY, NOT A GIRL AND I NEED TO ADJUST IT ACCORDINGLY.)

Chapter 10: On Cold Wings, He's Coming

* * *

><p>Yami opened the door and stepped inside, followed by Ryou and Malik. They were all carrying massive grocery bags and with a lot of effort, they hauled them onto the table. Yami looked around the kitchen. There was no remainder of the mess he had made earlier. He half expected Yugi to leave it the way it was to go and spend time with the Duel Monsters upstairs.<p>

"Okay, Yami," Ryou said, "Where does this stuff go?" He started pulling things out of his grocery bag and placing them on the counter.

The sound of footsteps came from upstairs. A few seconds later, Yugi appeared in the kitchen.

"Hi Yam-Oh," Yugi saw Ryou and Malik in the kitchen with his darkness, who had just turned to face him. His eyes widened. He instantly tried to cover the bandages on his arm seeing as he wasn't wearing the hoodie. Yami saw the distress on his light's face and put a hand up.

"It's okay Yugi," Yami said, "They know."

"They do?" Yugi asked, looking from Yami to Ryou and Malik. Ryou stepped forward and surprised Yugi with a hug, "Ryou!" He squeaked.

"Yugi," Ryou said softly "If I knew that any of this was going on, I would have never left the country. I would never have left you. I'm sorry."

Malik joined Ryou and Yugi and wrapped his arms around the two.

"I feel the same way." He said, "I should have been there. I should have been paying more attention. I should have stayed too."

Yami stood back to let the three of them have their moment. A sniffle broke the silence and Ryou and Malik broke away. Yugi had started to cry and brought a hand up to wipe away the tears.

"Yugi, I-We –" Ryou started, but Yugi put up his other hand to stop him.

"It's okay." Yugi sniffed, trying to steady his breathing back to a normal rate, "That meant so much you guys. You have no idea. And please don't think I'm angry at you for going away to study abroad. How would you have been able to help from another country? Please don't blame yourself for anything. I'm just glad you're back."

"We're glad to be back too," Malik said, "And remember, if you need anything at all, you know who to ask?"

"You guys?"

"Bingo."

"Alright," Ryou smiled, "Now that that's out of the way–"

Ryou was interrupted from a ringing in his pocket. He took out his cell phone and checked the ID. He rolled his eyes and turned to Malik before answering.

"Hello?" Ryou called into the phone, "Yes-Yes, I know we–Look, something came up. Okay?–No, I never–Yes, we're still serious about-Fine. Give us half an hour okay? Okay. Bye."

"Sometimes," He closed his phone and turned back to Malik, "I wonder if this was a good idea after all."

"What are you talking about?" Malik asked, "It was the only way it was going to happen. _Ever_. And now it's happening."

"Hi. We're still standing here," Yami cut in, gesturing to Yugi.

Ryou and Malik snapped out of their conversation and turned to Yugi and Yami with smirks on their faces.

"Well," Ryou began, "Before we found out about Yugi, we were going to tell everybody about it."

"It's the whole reason we went away," Malik continued "We took a special business exchange course. We were able to try our hands at running a business. I went to Egypt and Ryou went to England."

"We were both really successful and earned a little bit of money," Ryou went on, "We thought we'd go a step further when we were away and setup here in Domino. We ended up pitching our idea to Kaiba."

"Kaiba?" Yugi blinked.

"Yep." Malik said, "We sent him a proposal and weekly reports on how we were doing. He agreed and started building so it would be ready for when we got back to Domino."

"So, you're business partners with Kaiba now?" Yami asked, piecing everything together in his head.

"Yep." Malik nodded.

"So what kind of business are you guys going to be running?" Yugi asked.

Ryou and Malik turned back to each other with bigger smirks on their faces than before. They turned back to Yami and Yugi.

"A nightclub," Ryou said.

Yami and Yugi's faces went blank. Yugi blinked a few times trying to wrap his head around it all.

"A _nightclub_?" Yami asked, dumbfounded, "You two got _Seto Kaiba_ to agree to go into business with you running a _nightclub_? How? How did you do it? This is way too out there for him to agree to it!"

"Yami, you gotta understand. We're _entrepreneurs,_" Malik explained, playfully jabbing Ryou in the arm with his elbow, "We went to different places in the world and opened up smaller venues. They did really well too. We both knew this could work in Domino because there's nothing like it here. Kaiba thought about everything and said that he would give us a shot. If it does well, it can become an asset of Kaiba Corp!"

"And tonight's the opening night!" Ryou exclaimed, "He's already hired all the staff while we were gone!" He turned to Malik, "He wants us there ASAP. We need to go!"

"Okay!" Malik exclaimed. He turned back to Yugi and Yami, "Will we see you guys there tonight?"

"Umm," Yugi said, looking down. Yami took a step closer to Yugi and wrapped an arm around him.

"Now's not the best time," He said, "When Yugi's feeling better, we'll definitely go."

"We totally understand," Ryou said, shooting Malik a look that read 'DO YOU NOT THINK AT ALL?' "Anyway, we need to go before Kaiba kills us."

"Yeah," Malik said, cringing at the look he got from Ryou. They opened the door and started to leave. Malik waved to Yami and Yugi,"Feel better, Yugi!"

"Thanks guys. Good luck!" Yugi called as the door shut. He and Yami exchanged looks of amazement.

"They got Mokuba involved," Yugi said.

"Oh yeah," Yami replied laughing. He took his gaze off Yugi and stared into space, "But still, a nightclub in Domino. I've never been to anything like that. And it's opening tonight too."

"Yami?" Yugi got back into Yami's line of vision and snapped his fingers in front of his darkness, "Hello?"

"Oh!" Yami blinked back to reality and locked eyes with his light, "Yes, Yugi?"

"Could you do me a favor please?"

"Certainly. Anything at all Yugi."

"Could you go to the opening tonight?"

"What?" Yami blinked, "Why would I do something like that when you're still like this?"

"That's exactly why I _want_ you to do this." Yugi explained, "You've been looking after me this whole time and you haven't had a break at all. You've had no time to anything for yourself. So please, go do something for you."

"But I– " Yami started, but Yugi cut him off.

"It will make feel so much better knowing you're out having fun. So please, do it for me?"

"Alright," Yami sighed, "Fine, I'll go. But I'm only going because it's going to make you feel better."

"Thank you, Yami. Now, you better go and get ready. Give everyone a call and tell them you're going so they'll expect you."

"Okay, okay!" Yami smield as they finished putting away all the groceries "By the way, thanks for cleaning up my mess. I thought you may be a little to occupied with your guests upstairs."

"I was." Yugi admitted, "But in the end, I thought I should come down and clean up. You had gone to get groceries and this was a way I could help."

* * *

><p>After they had finished with the groceries, they made their way upstairs. Yami explained to Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl that he would be leaving for a while tonight and to watch over Yugi until he came back. They nodded and made their exit back to the deck. Yugi helped Yami pick out something appropriate to wear to a nightclub while Yami told everyone he was going.<p>

The clock read 8:00PM and Honda had just pulled in the driveway with Anzu and Jou. Yami was at the door with Yugi. He was dressed in a skintight, black tank top, black skinny jeans and black kicks. He turned to his light.

"So, how do I look?" Yami asked, a little out of place in his new clothes.

"You look fine, for the thousandth time." Yugi said with a giggle.

"Now, I'll be back at midnight okay? Please, don't wait up for me."

"Yeah, because that's gonna happen." Yugi said sarcastically, "I'm going to wait up. And when you come back, you're going to tell me all about it."

"Okay, fine," Yami said. They heard the car horn go off, "I better get going. I'll see you tonight."

"Bye, Yami!" Yugi called as his darkness stepped out of the house, got into the car and drove off. Yugi locked the door and sighed. He made his way back upstairs to his room. where the two duel monsters were waiting.

"Is he gone?" Dark Magician asked.

"Yep," Yugi said with a smile.

"Cool!" Dark Magician Girl exclaimed "So, what do you wanna do first? This is gonna be so much fun! A lot more fun then earlier today!"

"You _do_ realize we are doing a job for our Master?" Dark Magician rolled his eyes, "We're protecting his light. It's a very serious matter."

"And what kind of harm will it do to have a little fun?" She tapped her fingers on her staff, "If we just stood outside his door 'protecting' him, it would be awkward and weird for all of us. And besides, you heard them downstairs. He's waiting up while until Yami gets back! So why not do something fun for now?"

"Fine. We'll do something _fun,_" He turned to Yugi, "What would you like to do tonight?"

"Well," Yugi smiled, "We could play a board game. Just let me use the washroom and we'll decide which one to play."

He stepped outside of his room just in time to hear Dark Magician Girl say, "See? Why can't you be like him?" He laughed quietly so they wouldn't hear him and made his way to the washroom. He opened the mirror and took out the razor he had used so many times. He glared at it and threw it in the trashcan.

"Getting rid of it so soon? Who knows? You may want it again after tonight," A cold voice echoed in the room. Someone was in the washroom with him, the open mirror hiding his face.

Yugi slammed the mirror shut to see Marik glaring at him with a huge smirk on his face.

"Marik!?" Yugi screamed, "What? How did you get in here?"

"I was able to take over bodies in the past. Believe me, Yugi, breaking into a house undetected is no problem."

Upon hearing Yugi's scream, his two guardians rushed in, pushed him behind them and pointed their staff's at Marik.

"What are you doing here?" Dark Magician demanded, "Explain yourself!"

"You can put those down," Marik chuckled, "I'm not here to start a fight. I'm here to check in on my favorite hikari. After everything he's been through, who wouldn't want to make sure he's okay?"

"What?" Yugi asked, stepping into the middle of the monsters, clutching his bandages "How did you know about that?"

"It's me remember?" One way or another, I find everything out," He took a step closer to Yugi, "How could they?" He asked, his tone oozing with false sincerity, "How could they be so cruel to you? Look what they made you do. Look at the pain and the suffering that they caused you. That _he_ caused you"

He reached out a hand to trace the bandages only to have it swapped away by Dark Magician Girl's staff.

"Hands off!" She warned.

"Watch it, Blondie!" Marik replied angrily before turning to Yugi, his voice reverting to a more heartfelt tone, "I'm genuinely sorry for what he put you through and I'd like to help you."

"Help me?" Yugi asked, "How can you help me?"

"Why, isn't it obvious?" Marik replied, "You tried to rid yourself of pain and anguish he and everyone else caused you. I could help you achieve a more _permanent_ effect the next time."

"Thanks, but no thanks. Yami understands why I did what I did. Now, I'll never have to do it again."

"Really, Yugi? You think it's never going to happen again? I can guarantee he's going to forget about you again. He's going to realize that he won't have to look after you anymore of he just abandons you."

"Enough!" Dark Magician declared, "Our Master realizes the error of his ways. He would never make that kind of mistake again."

"Oh, but he will," Marik snapped, "And it will happen tonight. He will not return to you tonight. He will stay with the others because he is the happiest with them. He will not be here when you wake up the next day. He will be with them because that's what he wants."

"No…" Yugi whispered.

"But _I_ will come back," Marik told them "At midnight, when he is supposed to return to you, I will return. And when I do, I will help you achieve the bliss you longed for the last time. I will help you wipe all feeling from yourself so it will never hurt again. That's all I had to say," He turned to the door, glaring at the monsters. He looked back at Yugi, "I'll see you tonight," And with that, he vanished.

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl turned to Yugi, who was shaking. He looked up at them.

"You don't think he's right, do you?" Yugi asked them anxiously "You don't think he's going to forget about me, do you?"

"He would never do that again," Dark Magician Girl took Yugi's hands in her own, "Not in a millennium."

"She's right," Dark Magician placed a hand on Yugi's shoulder, "Trust in him. He will come back to you tonight."

"I hope so," Yugi looked down as tears started to fall from his face "I hope so..."


	11. We Took Too Many Shots!

HELLO READERS!

Oooh. Yami's going out tonight! I wonder what's going to happen! What's the nightclub going to be like? And will the night turn out well for our crimson-eyed hero? Let's find out!

Okay. Let's address some reviews!

Iris Taishou – You win the award for quickest review ever! It wasn't even ten minutes after I posted that chapter that you submitted your review! And to answer your question: No, Marik is _not_ going to rape Yugi. I've never written a sex scene before and I don't think I have it in me to write one, let alone a rape scene! XP

SetoKaiba4Life – Yes, I'm sorry for leaving off with another cliffhanger. I'm almost positive this will be another one though. I'M SORRY! :(

williamsangel88 AND Remy Nela – If you think Yugi couldn't catch a break before, wait until Chapter 12! ;)

Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret – I can't just give something like that away up here in the Author Notes can I? Start scrolling and find out! :)

This chapter is brought to you by "Last Friday Night (TGIF) by Katy Perry, "Blackout" by Breathe Carolina and "Ghosts 'n stuff (Featuring Rob Swire)" by Deadmau5.

Chapter 11: We Took Too Many Shots!

* * *

><p>Honda, Anzu, Jou and Yami had just pulled up to the nightclub. They all took a moment to take in what they were seeing. Hundreds of people were piled outside a building they had never seen before. Two bouncers kept the crowd under control and from storming through the door. Music was blasting from the building. Above them, plastered on the front of building was the logo. A shimmering heart that kept changing colours. Underneath in white text was the name of the club: <em>Change of Heart<em>.

"I see Ryou added his own personal touch," Yami smiled, looking the heart that had just changed from red to purple.

"The entire city must be here," Jou said, looking at the line.

"Well, we don't just wanna see the outside do we?" Anzu looked to Honda "There's a parking spot! Hurry!"

After they parked, they headed to front of the line as instructed by Ryou and Malik. Yami approached the bouncers.

"Hi," He said, covering his ears "We're on the guest list. Yami, Jou, Honda and Anzu."

"Hmm, let me check," The bouncer replied, unfazed by the music. He flipped through the pages and ran his finger up and down them until he tapped his clipboard, "There you guys are. Have a good time."

He opened the door for them and they stepped inside. Just like when they were outside, they had to stop and take in everything they saw. It was much bigger than what it looked like on the outside. They were on the second floor of the club, a massive staircase leading down to the first. There were flashing lights everywhere. People were dancing, some with glow paint on them. There was a massive bar on each floor, with seven people behind it. Waitresses were walking around with vials full of party shots for people to buy. Massive speakers on the walls felt like they were shaking the building themselves.

"I LOVE THIS SONG!" Anzu screamed at everyone.

"WHAT?" Jou yelled back.

Yami chuckled at the miscommunication. He stared out into space wondering if this was the kind of music Yugi liked. Upon thinking of his hikari, he was stung with guilt over leaving him at the house. Granted he was in the care of Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, but even that wasn't making him feel better. He was pulled out of his depressing trance by Anzu tugging on his arm.

"COME ON YAMI!" Anzu yelled for him to join everyone on the dance floor.

"LOOK," Yami started to say, fighting the volume of the music "I DON'T KNOW ABOUT THIS!"

But it was too late. She had dragged him under a set of lights with the rest of the group. Eventually, he remembered that he was here _for_ Yugi. Because Yugi asked him to go. He started dancing with everyone and letting loose. When the song ended, it was replaced with a slower, quieter track. Deciding they wanted a break as well as a drink, they headed for the bar.

"Hi, guys!" The bartender said with a smile, "What can I get you?"

"Four shots of whatever! Surprise us!" Jou told her. She nodded and lined up the shot glasses.

"Make that six Julie! With two waters!" Came a voice from behind them.

They turned around to see Ryou, Bakura, Malik and Marik approaching the bar. Bakura seemed amused at all the waitresses walking around while Marik sported a grin directed at Yami.

"I'll get these," Marik said and threw down some money. Julie grabbed it and went back to mixing the shots. This gesture earned him stares from everyone. "What? Am I not allowed to celebrate when my hikari does something right for a change?"

"At least the gesture was nice," Malik rolled his eyes and looked at everyone else.

"Hey, you're the owners. How come they aren't free?" Honda asked.

"Because Kaiba knows you're all here and is making sure we don't hand out free drinks," Ryou explained, "He wants to see if we can stay professional in an environment like this. So we're not drinking tonight."

"Yeah," Malik chimed in, "He's probably watching us right now."

Everyone started looking around for the billionaire, but he was nowhere in sight. They all started laughing when Julie came back with six shot glasses and two glasses of ice water.

"Voila!" She exclaimed, "Polar Bear shots!"

"Thanks, Julie!" Ryou said, grabbing his water before turning back to everyone, "So, what do you think?"

Everyone grabbed their glasses off the table as well.

"It's amazing," Anzu said, looking around, "This is just what Domino needed."

"You did good, kid," Bakura said, ruffling his hikari's hair.

"Well, we didn't get these just to look cool!" Jou exclaimed, raising his glass to the air, "To Change of Heart! And a ton of nights we'll never forget!"

They all followed suit and clinked their glasses together before draining their contents.

"Wow!" Yami looked at his empty glass "That was great!"

"Yeah," Jou said, "But it wasn't as strong as I like it to be," He turned back to the bar "Julie, you know how to make Mind Erasers right?"

"I sure do!" She moved to grab a clean shaker and the ingredients for the shot.

"I need a king size one! One big enough for everyone! Massive tip if you can pull it off!"

"Yes, sir!" She responded, motivated by the offer Jou made. A few seconds later she returned with straws in one hand and a pitcher full of ice, vodka, kahula and club soda.

"You're wonderful!" Jou said, slamming down a twenty. He turned to everyone, "Come on guys! Let's celebrate!"

"As tempting as that offer is," Bakura said, "Ryou and I are going to go this way. He's going to introduce me to that waitress over there," He pointed to a waitress on the first floor.

"Because I definitely agreed to that," Ryou said sarcastically. He looked up at his darkness and tugged his arm, "Come on! There's still so much I want to show you!"

"Okay! Fine! But just one waitress!" Bakura protested, "How about that one? Please?"

"We'll see! Now let's go!" Bakura replied, dragging Bakura out of sight.

"Those two," Jou said, shaking his head before turning back to everyone and putting the straws in the pitcher "Alright! Who's in?"

"I'm game!" Honda said eagerly stepping up to the pitcher.

"Not me," Anzu said,

"_LIGHTWEIGHT_!" Jou and Honda teased.

"Hey!" she responded, "I'm allowed to not like the taste of kahula. If you need me, I'll be out there dancing." She spun on her heels and left for the dance floor.

"Yami, you're in right?" Jou asked.

"I'll give it a try." Yami said, taking a straw.

"I want in too!" Marik declared, stepping forward.

Jou looked at him suspiciously, then looked back at Malik, who looked as confused as they did. He looked back to Marik.

"Alright, fine," Jou said, earning looks from Honda and Yami "Come celebrate Malik and Ryou's accomplishment with us. Let's see what you can do!"

"Why Jou, that sounded like a challenge" Marik smirked, taking his straw.

"Maybe," Jou returned. He looked at all the participants, "On three, we drink until it's gone! No stopping! One, two, three!"

They all drank from the bottom of the pitcher until there was nothing left but ice. They stepped back as Julie cleared it away.

"Whew!" Honda exclaimed, shaking his head, "My brain feels weird."

"Hence the name!" Jou said, "_That's _the kind of drink I'm talking about!"

"_That_ was it?" Marik goaded, "_That's_ all you can handle?"

"Try me!" Jou pounding his chest.

"Your funeral," Marik responded, turning to Julie throwing more money on the table "Four Liquid Cocaine shots!" A few moments later, Julie returned with four shot glasses containing a darker mix.

"Go big or go home," Marik said, handing everyone their glasses and raising his, looking at his light, "Ryou and Malik!"

"Ryou and Malik!" They responded and downed the contents of their glasses. Malik blushed at the toast. Jou shook his head trying to lose the effect of the shot.

"Had enough?" Marik taunted.

"No way!" Jou shot back.

"Actually, maybe you should take it easy," Yami suggested.

"What?" Jou shouted, "And lose to _him_? No way!" He turned to Julie, "Four Bob Marley shots!"

She returned with four shots, layered like the Jamaican flag.

"Drink until we drop?" Jou smirked at Marik.

"Agreed" He responded, turning to Malik "You should go. This won't be pretty and I don't want you to lose any respect for lightweight over there."

"Oh, it's _on_!" Jou said downing his shot and turning to Julie, "Four Incredible Hulks!"

"Make that three," Yami said, "I want to pace myself."

"Fine by me!" Jou turned to get the new glasses, which were filled with a deep green liquid, "Add the fourth one to your tip!"

"I'm gonna go," Malik said, "I want to check in with Kaiba. Best of luck to both of you!"

He dashed off as Jou, Honda and Marik downed the newest shot. This continued from Flatliners to Irish Depth Charges. It wasn't until after the Frag Grenades that Jou and Honda started to stumble.

"I feel k-kinda weird..." Jou slurred.

"Looks like I win," Marik declared, seeming completely sober.

"Not a ch-chance!" Jou retorted, turning to Julie, "Three Hysaljdaj."

"Sorry?" Julie stepped closer.

"He said three aldJjkbv!" Honda slurred.

"It's okay Julie," Yami said, "They're done for the night."

"Everything okay?" Anzu came over from the dance floor. She had broken into a sweat and was fiddling through her purse for drink money.

"Fuck you, Anzu!" Honda screamed.

"Excuse me?" Anzu asked in a warning tone.

"Yeah!" Jou chimed in, "You and your shit!"

Anzu cracked her knuckles and went over to Jou and Honda. She grabbed both their shirts and dragged them off into the distance, leaving Marik alone with Yami.

"Well, now that it's just us Yami, how about a drink?" Marik asked.

"Thanks, but I'm alright," Yami said flatly.

"Oh, but I insist. You've had more than enough time to sober up," He turned to Julie and throwing down more money, "Two large Sidecars please," He turned back to Yami, "She seems violent."

"She can be when she wants to be," Yami replied, looking into the crowd for his friends. While Yami was distracted, Marik took out a flask from his pocket containing a mix of tequila, sambuca, jager and whiskey. He sipped part of Yami's drink and replaced it with the contents of the flask. Returning his flask to his pocket, he handed Yami his drink.

"So, where's Yugi?" Marik asked, "Of all people, he should be here. Don't you agree?"

"Yugi isn't feeling well, if you must know," Yami replied, annoyed "I'm here on his behalf."

"Is that so? Well then. To Yugi and his health," He raised his glass.

"To Yugi," Yami raised his glass and toasted his light as well.

"_Is Marik really acting like this_?" Yami thought to himself, bringing the glass to his lips "_Well, I guess if there's any place to have a change of heart, it's here_."

He took a few sips from his drink and started to feel funny. He wasn't going to allow himself to be made a fool out of by Marik. He continued drinking, matching Marik's pace until he couldn't make out what Marik was saying. He finished and slammed the glass down on the table, blitzed out of his mind.

"Well now, you look no better than your friends did," Marik laughed, shaking his head at the sight of a drunk Yami. "Let's get you to your friends."

He took Yami's arm and swung it over his neck. A few minutes later, they found Anzu pummeling Honda's face.

"Here." He said to her, letting go of Yami and taking out his phone. "He's done for the night. He already called Yugi to let him know he was staying at Jou's house tonight."

"Oh. Okay then," Anzu replied.

"ANZU!" Yami screamed in his alcoholic bliss, wrapping his arms around her, "I LOVE YOU! WHERE WERE YOU? I MISSED YOU! AND YOUR FACE! AND YOUR LIFE!"

"Yami! Take it easy!" she exclaimed, steadying him "How much did you drink?"

"A lot," Marik told her, raising his phone and turning it onto video mode, pressing the record button, "I think we need a little something to remember this by,"

"So, you're going back to Jou's place right?" Anzu asked him seriously.

"YEAH!" He responded, "FUCK MY PLACE! I LOVE YOU GUYS! WHAT'S THIS SONG? LETS DANCE!"

Yami tried to spin around, but only ended up falling on his face. Marik chuckled as he captured the entire incident.

"You're okay to get him home?" Marik asked her.

"I'll be fine." Anzu replied, "I'll get Ryou to help me."

"Excellent." He exclaimed, "Well, I should get going. I have someone I need to see."


	12. It Ends Here Tonight

HELLO READERS!

That's right! Another chapter update in less than a week! Aren't you guys lucky? A lot luckier than Yugi after you read this!

Alright. I'm warning everyone right now. This is going to be the most graphic chapter so far. After this, I'll try and tone it down, but is the big one guys. If you're easily offended at subjects such as this, shut this down and go play Neopets or something.

In any case, lets respond to some reviews:

WingedVampireGirl – Ah, the dreaded exams! Been there. Anyway, you saw the spiked drink coming eh? How about what happens next? Good luck with your exams! :)

IkutoisSmexy – Killing Yugi off would eliminate so many possibilities in this story. So he'll live, for now.

Amaris the Dark Mage – You may wanna do more than _hit_ Marik after this one. ;)

This chapter is brought to you by "My Last Breath" – Evanescence.

Chapter 12: It Ends Here Tonight

* * *

><p>"You guys, where is he?" Yugi asked his guardians. All of them were sitting on his bed, glancing at the clock. It read 11:54 PM. An abandoned board game was on the floor. They tried to get Yugi's mind off Marik's words with the game, but to no avail.<p>

"Yugi, when was the last time you tried your mind link?" Dark Magician Girl asked him.

"I closed it off ages ago."

"Well, maybe it's time to open it up again," Dark Magician suggested.

Yugi nodded and concentrated. He reopened his side of the link, making it whole once again.

"_Yami_?" He called out in his head, "_Where are you? Why aren't you home yet? Are you okay?_"

There was no response. He waited a minute, and another. But no response from Yami ever came.

"He's not answering," Yugi said sadly, turning to the monsters "What if Marik's right? What if he doesn't come back? What if he's forgotten about me all over again?"

"You can't take what that man said to heart." Dark Magician told him, "Yami understands what he has done and will not let it happen again."

"I really hope you're right." Yugi replied, "He told me he'd be back at midnight."

They all looked back to the clock. 11:57 PM

Nothing from the mind link.

11:58 PM.

No phone call.

11:59 PM.

No car pulling into the driveway.

12:00 AM.

No Yami.

Suddenly, the three of them heard footsteps coming up the stairs. They are stared at the doorway. Yugi jumped off the bed to see if it was Yami but was pushed back by the monsters.

"I didn't hear the door open," Dark Magician said raising his staff, prompting his apprentice to do the same.

"Me either," Dark Magician Girl said, pushing Yugi behind her, "I don't sense him either. That can't be Yami."

"That's because it isn't," Came a snarl from the hallway.

Marik entered from the hallway into the bedroom. His eyes were locked on Yugi, disregarding the monsters in front of him.

"I told you this would happen," He told the hikari, "I knew Yami wouldn't come home tonight. He had no intention from the moment he stepped out the door. He's abandoned you again Yugi."

"Enough!" Dark Magician roared, the gem in his staff glowing green.

"You won't torment him with your lies anymore!" Dark Magician Girl shouted, the top of her staff shining with a radiant gold.

"I've just about had it with you two!" Marik screamed. He threw his hands out in front of him, black light emanating from them. He sent the blasts of energy at the two monsters, knocking them off their feet and sending them into the air. He waved his hand across the room and in a black flash, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were back in their cards. Yugi could only watch as the cards were forced back into the deck they came from. Marik snapped his fingers and a large black seal appeared over the cards, "There," He declared, turning back to Yugi "That should save us from any more interruptions."

"No!" Yugi cried, looking at the deck and back to Marik, "What did you do to them?"

"No need for worry. They're fine," He explained, "I just came to reiterate what I said earlier. Yami isn't coming back tonight. Please, I'm just trying to look out for you."

"How am I supposed to believe that?" Yugi asked, "How am I supposed to trust you? Yami said he'd be back, so I believe him."

"Well, let's solve both those problems," Marik replied, reaching into his pocket and pulling out his phone "I have proof. Proof of what I've been saying this entire time."

He turned the phone around so the screen was facing Yugi and hit the play button. Yugi eyes widened as he saw Yami, wasted out of his mind, dancing. And then he heard Yami say that he didn't want to go home. That he was staying at Jou's instead. He looked down just as Yami passed out. He felt so alone, so betrayed, so hurt.

"Believe me now?" Marik asked, putting his phone away, "I wish you would have believed me sooner. Then maybe we could have done something about it. You must have had some idea that this would happen. But it's too late now, and you heard Yami. He would much rather be with them than you."

"I.." Tears formed in Yugi's eyes as he looked back up at Marik, "I…."

"How could he do this to you?" Marik continued, his voice trickling with false compassion, "Has he forgotten that you shared your body with him? Does he not think about all the strain that caused you? And now, he has the nerve to abandon you and take all your friends with him. How awful."

"B-But I– " He choked. The tears were streaming down Yugi's face now. His amethyst eyes blood red and puffy. Marik stepped in front of Yugi. He wrapped his arms around him and pulled him into a tight embrace.

"I'm sorry." He said softly.

At that point, Yugi lost it. He returned the embrace with an amount of speed and force that surprised Marik. He started sobbing into Marik's shoulder, drenching his shirt in tears. Marik started rocking Yugi back and forth, like a parent would do to a child in an attempt to calm him down.

"That's it," Marik said to the distraught hikari, "Just let it all out."

Marik started rubbing circles into Yugi's back, trying to regulate his breathing again. He brought his other hand to Yugi's face and started wiping the tears from his eyes. It took several minutes of being held for Yugi to become calm enough for Marik's liking.

"You're in pain," Marik told Yugi, who just nodded and blinked more tears. "Pain doesn't suit you. I think it's time we dealt with the pain that has been eating away at you for so long."

He took Yugi by the hand and lead him to the bathroom. His hand dove for another pocket as he positioned Yugi in front of him.

"You're first problem was the tool you were using," Marik drew a large knife from his pocket. Yugi's eyes widened at the sight of the knife causing Marik to chuckle.

"It's okay," he said, holding it out in front of Yugi, "It looks scary, but it'll get the job done. Now hold out your arm. The uninjured one."

Yugi slowly brought his arm up to Marik, who ran the blade up and down his arm all the way up to his shoulder with the dull side. The feeling made Yugi start to pull his arm away, but Marik caught his wrist and pulled it back gently.

"This is for the best," He told the hikari, "You can't keep going on like this. Together, you and I will end your suffering," He brought the blade to the top of Yugi's arm and looked into his eyes, "Are you ready?"

Yugi, who's voice escaped him, responded with a nod. Marik returned the nod and turned his attention back to the knife. Still holding Yugi's wrist, he made one long, bloody cut all the way down Yugi's arm. Yugi whimpered and tried to take his arm away, but Marik kept it in its place. He made another few long cuts like the first before placing the knife in Yugi's other hand.

"Make one right here," Marik instructed, pressing a finger down on a spot on Yugi's arm. Yugi slowly brought the knife to where Marik's finger had been, and slashed the skin away.

"And here." Marik pressed down on his elbow. Yugi made this cut a lot quicker than the first, "Now here," Marik pressed down on the side of his upper arm. Yugi made this one with no hesitation.

"Very good." Marik let go of Yugi's wrist and looking at the bloody mess of his arm, "Make a few more wherever you like. We'll move on after that."

Yugi nodded and covered his arm in smaller cuts. Marik took Yugi's arm into his hands and inspected the damage.

"Wonderful!" He exclaimed, letting go of Yugi's arm and taking the knife back, "And now, we continue."

It took one swipe for Marik to send all of the bandages from Yugi's other arm falling to the floor. They both looked at what the bandages were concealing. The previous cuts that Yugi made were almost completely healed. He handed the knife back to Yugi, this time in the bloody arm.

"Keep going. You're doing great," Marik said encouragingly.

Yugi took the knife and brought the blade down on the healing cuts, reopening them one after the other and spilling more blood onto himself and the floor. He added a few more in the spaces where he had missed in his previous cutting sessions. Marik, fearing the night would end too early, took the knife from Yugi as he was going to make a new cut. Yugi gave Marik a look of confusion.

"Not too fast Yugi," Marik explained, "We don't want this to end to quickly. Are you feeling better?"

Yugi took a moment to assess himself. Try as he might, he couldn't feel anything. Even his cuts were hurting less and less with each new one. He nodded to Marik, who positioned himself behind the boy, leaving a hand in front of him.

"Fantastic," Marik said with glee, raising the knife, "Now you probably thought that was it, right?"

A still speechless Yugi nodded.

"Well, think again!" Marik yelled. He slashed the knife through the fabric of Yugi's shirt while his other hand pulled it off, leaving him bare chested. Yugi looked at Marik, eyes wide. Marik chuckled and brought the blade of the knife to Yugi's chin. He placed his free hand on Yugi's shoulder. Using the knife, he tilted Yugi's face to the bathroom mirror while his other hand moved the rest of his body accordingly.

"See?" Marik exclaimed, running the dull side up and down Yugi's chest and stomach "Why would be stop at your arms, when there is so much more we have to do?"

Yugi shivered at the blade dancing on his chest and backed into Marik.

"Nervous?" He asked, only to be met with another nod, "That's okay, I'll start."

Marik raised Yugi's right arm and carved a figure of eight from his armpit all the way down to his hip. He moved the knife over Yugi's stomach and made smaller cuts across it. He moved the knife up to his chest and cut across it.

"Still nervous?" Marik asked again. Another nod. Marik placed the knife in Yugi's hand, then placed Yugi's hand in his own, "I can't do it all now, can I, Yugi?"

Yugi watched as Marik guided the knife in his hand across his body. Together they made more cuts all over his upper half. Six or seven cuts in, Marik let go of Yugi's hand. He didn't even need to tell Yugi to continue, he was carving into himself freely. Once or twice, Marik started to press his finger into unharmed parts of Yugi's chest, giving the knife new targets. He slid his hand down his uninjured side and across his stomach, the knife close behind it. When Marik's hand made it to the other side of Yugi's stomach, he took the knife from the hikari's hand. It wasn't until now that Marik noticed how Yugi was breathing. He was taking quick, deep breaths, looking at all the cuts he made. Marik took the knife out of Yugi's sight behind him.

"Shhhh," Marik cooed, "You're doing great."

He once again rubbed circles into Yugi's back to try and regulate his breathing. The feeling of Marik's hand traveling across the bare skin of his back brought his breathing back to normal rather quickly.

"Now Yugi, I have a question for you. And I need an answer," Marik said, dragging the knife across Yugi's back, "Yami's actions, him taking your friends away from you and forcing you to do this. How does it make you feel?"

Yugi's breathing started to quicken again, but Marik corrected this by placing his free hand on Yugi's neck and rubbing circles into the back of it.

"Worthless," Yugi whispered, his voice returning to him.

"Excellent," Marik smirked. He placed the knife at the left side of Yugi's back. He starting carving deeply into the flesh. Yugi gasped and fought back tears as the blade made its way across his back. He tried to move away from the knife, but Marik placed his free hand on Yugi's shoulder, holding him steadily in place. Within minutes, the word "WORTHLESS" was engraved into Yugi's back, blood gushing from the wound.

Marik stepped back and looked at his handiwork. Then he circled the bleeding boy to take a good look at it all. Blood was freely flowing from every single cut and Yugi's breathing was shallow. Marik stood in front of Yugi and brandished the knife. He ran his hand across the blade, collecting the blood on it. He popped a finger into his mouth and licked it clean. He brought another finger to Yugi's mouth and gently pushed it between his lips.

"Go on," Marik instructed. Yugi blinked tears as he sucked Marik's finger, tasting his own blood. He ran his tongue over it, licking it clean. Marik drew his finger out of his mouth and brought his hand to his cheek to stroke it.

"There." He said softly, "All done. You wont have to worry about feeling anything like that ever again."

He stepped away from Yugi and pulled out his phone. Yugi didn't notice as he was trying to regain control of his breathing. Marik snapped pictures of every cut on Yugi's body from every angle, lifting his arms and tilting his head. When he finished, he put his phone away and stepped back to Yugi's front, amethyst eyes never leaving him.

"Well, my work here is finished," Marik told him, "If you ever need some more help, I'll be watching."

Marik vanished before Yugi's eyes in a puff of smoke. Yugi looked down at his body, his breathing too far out of his control. There was blood all over him and it kept coming. He turned his arms over to look at the damage there. It was the same as his front, a never ending river of blood, trailing from the cuts and falling to the floor. His eyes were the worst though. They had completely lost their shine, going dull. He shuddered as he finally felt the cool air on his bare skin and wrapped his arms around his chest as a response. His head was spinning and he couldn't brace himself as he collapsed on the cold floor beneath him.


	13. You Saw Me At The Worst

HELLO READERS!

Wow everyone, just wow.

I want to start by telling you guys how much I was looking forward to writing that last chapter. I knew it was going to be a challenge seeing as I've never written anything close to that before. What's more, I had to keep myself from checking my email for the rest of the night. I always check my email for alerts in the first thing in the morning. The feeling of waking up and looking at the ton of emails I get from reviews/favorites/subs honesty makes it all worth it. Writing was always something I was good at, and to be praised on the level of description, the emotion my story delivers, and even the fact that some of you can relate to this is a huge compliment to me. So, thanks. I really appreciate it.

Okay, enough of me blubbering up there. Review time!

SetoKaiba4Life – Shivers eh? Then I guess I did I did a good job. Don't worry though, the next few chapters are far tamer than the last.

Amaris The Dark Mage – Ouch. That must have sucked. But then again, I was listening to Evanescence when I wrote that. Want the full effect? Go back and re-read it with "Tourniquet" and "My Last Breath" playing in the background. ;)

HannahBanana000 – I plan out my chapters a few ahead as I write, so I've already addressed the scar issue. It's mentioned in this chapter. Thanks for the suggestion though. :)

This chapter is brought to you by "Saviour" and "Second Go" – LIGHTS.

Chapter 13: You Saw Me At The Worst

* * *

><p>"This is bad! I can't see anything! " Dark Magician Girl told her teacher frantically. They were staring out into black clouds above them, trying to figure out what was going on. In the center of the sky was the seal preventing them from exiting the deck. The other monsters sensed this disturbance and had appeared behind the two.<p>

"That thing is messing with my powers!" She exclaimed, "I can't sense anything! It's almost like I've gone blind!"

"Ooooh, this is ridiculous!" He said, turning to the crowd behind him, "Listen up! We have been sealed in here by an evil presence! We need to break its spell and return to the living world! For the sake of our Masters, lend us your strength!"

The two smiled at the roars of support coming from the other monsters. They rose into the air to face the black seal. The other monsters started to glow gold as they sent their power up to the Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl.

"On three!" Dark Magician called, radiating a purple aura from the sudden surge of energy "One!"

"Two" Dark Magician Girl shouted, starting to shine pink.

"_Three_!" They shouted in unison. They pointed their staffs at seal, sending jets of pink and purple energy at it. At first, it held its own, seeming unaffected. But then, the center started to crack and pieces started to fall from it. The seal glowed black and then exploded, fallen pieces dissolving into the air. The dark clouds parted and their vision was restored. The rebound of their combined power sent the two monsters flying out of the deck and onto Yugi's bedroom floor with a _thump_.

"Ugh," Dark Magician groaned, helping his apprentice up, "Are you alright?"

"I think so," She replied, "Just wait until I get my hands on Marik!"

"Well, you'll have to wait for that," Dark Magician told her, "He's not here anymore. I can't sense him in the house at all. There's faint traces of his magic, but he's definitely left."

"What about Yugi?" Dark Magician Girl looked around fearfully, and then back to her teacher "I can't sense him at all!"

"Calm down," He said, "If you try and find him when you're in such a state, you'll never succeed. Now," He stepped in front of his apprentice, placed both of his hands on his staff and closed his eyes. Dark Magician Girl watched as her Master used his more developed powers to search for Yugi. If there was one thing she envied about Dark Magician, it was his ability to keep a cool head in the direst of times.

"I've found him," Dark Magician opened his eyes, "He's still in the house...But something's not right. His presence is almost non-existent. It's no wonder you couldn't find him."

"Is he okay?" She asked, panic once again filling her heart.

"I can't say for certain," He replied, leading her to the doorway "Something very serious has happened for you and I to have that kind of trouble finding him...This way," He led her to into the hallway. Dark Magician glanced around until he pointed at the bathroom. They quickly made their way inside.

What they saw caused them to drop their staffs, turn their faces pale and send Dark Magician Girl's hands to her mouth. There, on the cold tile floor, lay Yugi. He was splayed out on the floor, his shirt torn to pieces a few feet away from him. But the most disturbing site was the mass amount of cuts that littered his upper body. His chest, arms and stomach were covered in lacerations and the blood that poured from them had dried up and stuck to his skin. They quickly rushed to his side, Dark Magician kneeling closer to inspect the damage.

"Is-Is he?..." Dark Magician Girl struggled to let the words leave her mouth.

Dark Magician, though he remained composed, feared for the worst. They had no idea how long Yugi had been left like this. He placed his hand on Yugi's chest, over his heart. He closed his eyes, pushing the world around him away and focusing on his goal. He removed his hand, blood sticking to it, and turned to Dark Magician Girl.

"I feel a heartbeat. He's alive," He said with a sigh of relief.

"Thank Ra!" She cried, "We have to do something about his injuries in the meantime!"

"I agree," He stated, "I'll need some help though. We need to move him to his room."

Dark Magician placed a hand under Yugi's legs and another on his back. Dark Magician Girl moved behind Yugi to help her Master lift him to his room, but before she could do anything, she let out a bloodcurdling scream and pointed to Yugi's back. Dark Magician looked at her, and then to the spot where she was pointing. His eyes widened as he saw the cause of this new disturbance. Carved across Yugi's back was the word "WORTHLESS". Dark Magician traced the new found injury, feeling how deep the cuts went. He looked back at his apprentice, whose legs had gave way and had fallen to her knees. She was shaking and fighting back tears. Dark Magician took a few deep breaths and proceeded to lift Yugi out of the bathroom bridal style.

"Wait here. I'll be back," He told her. When he received a shaky nod, he proceeded back to the bedroom. He carefully laid Yugi onto his bed before taking another look at his injuries. He shuddered as he returned to the deck. Moments later, he reappeared alongside the Mystical Elf, who was carrying the Book of Secret Arts. He lead the blue skinned elf over to the bed. She covered her mouth at the sight of Yugi.

"We don't have much time," He told her, "I'd do this myself, but a case this serious requires an expert like you. Can we save him?"

The Mystical Elf looked at Dark Magician and nodded.

"Had you brought me here later, we may have been too late," She opened the Book of Secret Arts and pulled a bottle of Red Medicine out of her robe. She began chanting and the book began to glow. She poured the medicine over Yugi's wounds and spread it over his skin. White smoke rose up from the cuts and filled the air.

"Excellent," Dark Magician nodded, "I have another matter I need to attend to. I'll be back shortly." He was about to leave the room, but turned to face her again. "One other thing. There's….A large injury across his back that also needs treatment. It's quite daunting. Just a warning."

She nodded as he exited the room and returned to the bathroom. Dark Magician Girl was still trembling on the floor, staring at the blood stuck to the tiles.

"Yugi's receiving treatment right now," He told her, kneeling down in front of her. Upon seeing him, she looked away, "He's going to be okay."

"How could we let this happen?" She asked him, returning to face him with tears in her eyes, "We should have been able to protect him, that was our only job. And we were so easily defeated, and now – now look what happened! We almost lost Yugi! If we were only stronger...If _I _was only stronger, we could have – _I_ could have –"

"Listen to me," Dark Magician placed his hands on her shoulders, "You can't put all that pressure on yourself. There's no way we could have foreseen this. It shouldn't matter what _could_ have happened. That's in the past now. We need to look at what we _can_ do now, in the present. Yugi needs you. Yami needs you. _I _need you. There is _no way_ I could have ever taken on Yugi's protection without you, and I won't be able to do continue without you. So please." He took her by the hand and helped her off the ground "Help me share the responsibility of protecting Yugi. He needs both of us."

"You're right," Dark Magician Girl sniffled and took a deep breath, "I'm sorry."

"There's nothing to apologize for. I had a hard time containing myself too," He picked up their staff's and handed hers back to her. He waved his own and all the blood vanished off the floor. They returned to the bedroom, where the Mystical Elf was looming over Yugi.

"Well, how is he?" Dark Magician asked her. She turned to face the two.

"He'll make a full recovery," She explained, "It was a bit difficult at first because I had to alter the Red Medicine to work on humans, and I haven't done that before," She waved the empty bottle in front of them, "His injuries will heal at a much faster rate. Once that has been completed, his body will begin to generate the blood it lost. Afterwards, any scar tissue will quickly be replaced with healthy tissue, making it so the injuries were never there."

"Wonderful!" Dark Magician exclaimed, his apprentice breathing a sigh or relief.

"Now because this was originally a method intended for monsters, it will take time to begin the healing process. He's going to be weak for a while."

"That's no problem," Dark Magician Girl said, turning to her Master "He's got us right?"

"Yes he does," Dark Magician smiled at her. He turned back to the Mystical Elf, "You've been a huge help. Thank you."

She smiled and bowed to the two before returning to the deck with a flash. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl took a step closer to Yugi. The Mystical Elf had done as she said. The cuts had begun to close, some of the smaller one's already sealed. He was breathing normally and sleeping peacefully. Dark Magician Girl ran a hand through Yugi's tri-coloured hair and frowned as she noticed all the blood still plastered on his skin. She waved her staff, and the blood vanished. Another wave and she replaced Yugi's bloody, black clothing with white pajamas. With some assistance from Dark Magician, she placed Yugi in the bed and pulled the covers over him.

"What now?" Dark Magician Girl asked her teacher, "I don't know about you, but I can't sense Yami at all. Do you think something happened?"

"I'm not sure," He replied, "But until we figure out what happened, we won't be much help. Give me your hand."

She held out her hand for him to take. He took it and turned to Yugi. He placed his other hand on the sleeping boy's forehead.

"Close your eyes," He instructed, "We're going to see what happened through Yugi's eyes."

Dark Magician Girl nodded and shut her eyes. He did the same and started to focus. They both saw black for a while until, like a television struggling to find a signal, they finally saw a clear picture of when Marik entered the room. They saw themselves get blasted back into the deck, the video of Yami and his drunken slurs, and finally, the entire incident in the bathroom. Dark Magician removed his hand from Yugi.

"This has gotten far out of hand," Dark Magician stated, opening his eyes and letting go of his apprentice's hand, prompting her to open her eyes "Marik was cunning, no question about that. He knew exactly what would tug at Yugi's heartstrings. The images of Yami seemed genuine. There's no way he could have fabricated that without magic, and I didn't sense anything out of the ordinary before we were forced into the deck."

"Poor Yugi...What about Yami? Did he not think at all that something like this could happen?"

"Yami will have to answer for that. Truth be told, I'm furious with him. Knowing that his hikari is in such a fragile state, and then doing something like this. It's totally irresponsible. One thing's for certain," Dark Magician moved to Yugi's dresser picking up a familiar golden puzzle, "With Yami acting so careless, we're going to need some help."

"Are you serious?" Dark Magician Girl's eyes widened, looking at puzzle.

"Absolutely," He replied, "There's only so much you and I can do. We need him."

"Well, that settles it." Dark Magician Girl said, straightening her hat and twirling her staff.

"Wait, what are you doing?"

"I'm going to go and take care of Marik while you go get him."

"_WHAT_?" Dark Magician just looked at her, "But that's insane!"

"I know I don't stand much of a chance," She told him, starting to glow pink "And I know that I'm nowhere near as powerful as you, Marik or _him_." She gestured to the puzzle "I just need to hold him off until the two of you get there. We can't let him get away with this."

"Hold on a min-"

"Wish me luck!" Dark Magician Girl winked at her teacher and disappeared with a pink flash. Dark Magician looked out the window. He could see a pink streak flying through the sky. He looked down at the puzzle in his hands.

"Now, I know for certain. We need your help more than ever."


	14. Duel of Fates

HELLO READERS!

Yeah, that's right! Back to back chapters! I figured I'd upload the next one since I'm going on vacation for a few days, and won't be able to upload anything. So, in the end, we all win! Except for someone in this chapter, life is gonna start to suck for them.

Anyway! Let's talk to some reviewers!

Amaris the Dark Mage – Every song influenced the chapters in some way. Listening to them will give you the full effect. Granted, it might make you wanna cry, but I believe in you! :D

Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret and IkutoisSmexy – Good guesses. One of you was right. :)

Fallenqueen2 – The DM's are going to get even more badass in this chapter, at least Dark Magician Girl is. ;)

SetoKaiba4Life – Don't worry. Here's another chapter. Commence screaming! XD

Radioactive Tiger – Thanks, I really appreciate it. :)

This chapter is brought to you by every single battle in Harry Potter and Star Wars.

Chapter 14: Duel of Fates (Because I'm so unorigninal ;) )

* * *

><p>Marik sat at his table, holding a glass of red wine. In his other hand he was holding the knife he and Yugi had used a few hours ago. He was twisting it in the light, watching it shimmer. He sighed and brought his lips to the glass and took a mouthful of wine. It was a job well done as far as was concerned. He was able to stick it to Yami by destroying Yugi, body and soul. He smiled, knowing Yugi would never be the same after tonight, even if he survived.<p>

He continued to muse over his victory until pink beams of light shot around him everywhere. He tried to keep track of them all until one of them hit him in face, knocking him out of his chair. Marik stood back up just in time to see Dark Magician Girl materialize out of a large pink orb, her staff pointing right at him.

"So, you managed to get out," He sneered, "I guess I underestimated the two of you. Tell me, how's Yugi doing?

"You _BASTARD_!" She screamed. She slashed her staff through the air, creating a shockwave that knocked Marik face first into the wall. He stood back up, bringing a hand to his now bloody, broken nose.

"You'll regret that," He snarled.

"Not as much as you're going to regret crossing me!" She told him boldly. Another slash of her staff and she sent a jet of pink lightning at him. But Marik was ready for it this time. He crossed his arms over the lightning and deflected it to the floor, causing a smokescreen. When it cleared, he was holding the Millennium Rod.

"Let's be honest," He told her, raising the rod, "You can't beat me. Not by yourself."

"I don't need anybody to help me deal with the likes of _you_!" She threw lightning at him again. Marik caught the blast and sealed it in the Millennium Rod. He spun it over his head and pointed it at Dark Magician Girl, sending her lightning back at her in a brilliant gold.

She ducked under it and shot another bolt at him. Marik used the rod as a bat and swung it back in her direction. She dodged it again, but the blast hit the shelf behind her, sending it crashing down on top her. She collapsed under its weight, her staff knocked from her hand. She reached for it, inches away, only to have her hand stepped on. She looked up to see Marik pointing the Millennium Rod in her face.

"It's a shame really," Marik told her with a cruel smile, "You were kind of cute too."

She closed her eyes in defeat as he raised the staff. Just as he was going to strike her with it, a purple blast sent him crashing over the table and into the wall with a scream. She looked up to see Dark Magician standing over her, his staff pointed in Marik's direction.

"That's my _student_ you're talking to!" He said proudly. With a wave of his hand, the shelf moved across the room, freeing Dark Magician Girl.

"Are you alright?" He asked her, tossing her staff to her.

"Yeah," She said, struggling to get up, "Thanks for coming."

He made a move to help her, but was blasted back by gold lightning. He collapsed backwards into a wall. Marik leaped through the air, holding the Millennium Rod above his head like an axe, right over Dark Magician's head. Dark Magician Girl quickly rose and jumped, blocking the rod with her staff.

"You again?" Marik snarled, "Do you not know when to quit?"

"I told you already," She replied, "You'll regret crossing me!"

She forced him back with a slash of her staff, getting in front of her master. They leapt in the air, clashing weapons like swords. As they landed, she ran her hand across her staff, making it glow pink.

"Catch!" Dark Magician called. He placed his hand on his staff, now gleaming purple. He threw his it in her direction and she caught it in her other hand. She felt a surge of energy as his power mixed with hers. The combination gave her a white aura. Marik watched this cautiously, keeping his rod in front of him. She twirled both staffs above her head and charged.

Dark Magician watched in awe as his protégé parried every one of Marik's moves, putting him on the defense. She delivered each blow just as though she had been practicing swordplay for years. She kicked him back into a wall and brought her master's staff down upon the rod, locking it in place. She backhanded him in the face with her own, causing him to stumble away from her.

"That was for Yugi!" She screamed, bringing both staff's in front of her. She sent blast after blast of white light at Marik, who could only watch hopelessly as they collided with him. She sent more and more, which tore up the room and created another smokescreen. Satisfied with her handiwork, she brought the staff's back down to her sides. She looked over at her teacher, who was still wide eyed at her surprising use of magic. She smiled and winked his way.

A scream came from inside the smokescreen. Before Dark Magician Girl had any time to react, daggers made from dark energy pinned her to the wall, causing her to drop the staffs. Marik appeared through the smoke, bleeding from the mouth and spitting teeth out. His clothes were burnt with holes all over, and in some places smoking. He walked over to her and forcefully grabbed her throat, pointing the Millennium Rod at her teacher.

"I told you!" Marik spat in her face, tightening his grip, "You couldn't stop me! You failed! Feel pretty worthless right now? Feel like Yugi? Don't worry. I'll help you just like I helped him! And when I'm done with you, I'll finish him off!" He nodded in Dark Magician's direction.

"_ENOUGH_!" came a baritone voice booming from behind Marik.

Marik took his hand off Dark Magician Girl and turned around. Standing in front of him was a figure wearing a crimson cloak. The hood concealed the stranger's face, but the voice was one Marik recognized all too well.

"Ah, if it isn't Yami," Marik sneered, "I didn't think you'd sober up until tomorrow. Come to watch me deal with these two? Or maybe you're here to thank me for the assistance I gave your hikari? Perhaps you'd like something for your splitting headache? Well? Spit it out."

"By the time I'm though with you," The figure brought his hands to his hood and flipped it back, revealing his face "You're going to wish I _was_ Yami!"

Marik lost all the colour in his face and almost dropped his Millennium Rod. The man standing before him was not Yami, but an almost picture perfect replica, besides the darker skin colour.

"A-Atem?" He stammered, stepping back.

There, standing before him, was Atem, Yami's self from 3000 years ago. Apart from his cloak, he was dressed in a white tunic and brown sandals, the Millennium Puzzle hanging from his neck.

"You shall pay for your crimes by _my _hand!" Atem declared, stepping towards a shocked Marik, who raised his rod.

"Never! You will suffer the same fate as everyone else!" He shrieked. He slashed the rod, sending a bolt of lightning at Atem. Atem easily swiped the bolt away with his hand. Marik made to swing the rod again, but Atem waved his hand across Marik, using his power to send the rod flying across the room, landing beside Dark Magician. Atem stretched his hand out in front of him, pushing Marik back into the wall beside Dark Magician Girl. He closed his hand into a fist and golden shackles appeared, binding Marik in place at the hands and feet.

"And now," Yami said furiously, the Millennium eye appearing on his forehead "REPENT!"

Marik's eyes went black. He started to thrash and flail in his bonds, screaming at the top of his lungs. Sweat started to drip down his face, mixing in with the blood from his other wounds. Atem raised his other hand, adding something to Marik's unique torture. Dark Magician and Dark Magician watched as Marik struggled with all his might to be free.

"STOP!" He pleaded, "NO MORE! NO MORE! I CAN'T TAKE IT!"

"So, how are you feeling Marik?" Atem asked darkly, "I only hope I've put you in the same kind of twisted agony you put Yugi in."

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!" Marik howled, the eye on Atem's forehead shining brighter.

"Silence!" Atem commanded, snapping his finger. Marik could no longer speak. The only sound he could make were scratchy gasps for air. Atem forcefully grabbed Marik's and made him to look dead into furious crimson eyes.

"If you so much as _glance_ towards Yugi, Yami, these two or anyone close to me again, I will come back, and I will show no mercy," Atem threatened, "Do I make myself clear?"

Marik, through his thrashing was able to produce a nod that Atem picked up. He removed his hand from Marik's face and waved it in front of him. The shackles disappeared, sending Marik tumbling to the floor. The eye on Atem's forehead vanished as Marik's eyes returned to normal.

"Bastard..." Marik breathed. Atem caught this and grabbed Marik by the collar. He swung his fist with all the might he could muster, landing directly on Marik's cheek. The force of the blow knocked Marik out of his grip and crashing back to the floor, knocking him unconscious.

The daggers pinning Dark Magician Girl to the wall vanished as she fell to the ground. Atem caught her and steadied her.

"Sorry I couldn't get you out of those sooner," He said to her, "Are you alright?"

"I'm okay." She replied, inspecting the areas where the daggers had stabbed her.

"Well, that won't do," Yami stated. He waved his hands over the wounds, and they healed instantly. The blood dripping down her arms evaporated into the air.

"Many thanks Pha– " Dark Magician Girl she started to say, but Atem put a hand in front of her.

"Mana, please." He said with a smile, "How long have we known each other? There is no need to stand on ceremony with me. We're friends, remember?"

"I know. I'm sorry Pha–Atem."

"I have to say," Dark Magician smiled. He was on his feet again and holding her staff out in front of her "That was some display of power. You almost had him too. I never thought you had _that_ in you."

"Oh please," She said, taking the staff back "You're my _teacher_. How could I go wrong?"

"I guess so." He chuckled before turning to Atem. "We couldn't have done this without you."

"It was my pleasure." He said looking at Marik, then back to them, "I just wish I was involved sooner. I may have been able to help prevent this earlier."

Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl looked down.

"We're sorry." Dark Magician said apologetically, "We had placed our faith in Yami and his judgement."

"And I don't blame you for that at all." He told them, causing them to look back up at him, "Before I departed for this place, I looked back at everything from Yugi's perspective, much like you did."

"Yami is the darkness to Yugi's light." Atem continued, "His job is to watch over and protect him. You put your faith in him hoping he would do his job. I would have done the same in you position. In fact, I kind of did."

"What do you mean?" Dark Magician Girl asked.

"Yugi is as much my light as he is Yami's." Atem explained, "Naturally, when this all started I felt a distress of some kind. Afterwards, I felt everything return to normal. I assumed Yami had corrected everything. I was wrong. And now, here we are. So now, I'll do what I can to help Yugi and fix the situation."

"Let's go," He said, glowing crimson, "Yugi's waiting."

Dark Magician and Dark Magician and began to glow their respective colours. And with a flash, they vanished into the night.


	15. Slow it All Down, The Damage is Done

HELLO READERS!

So I posted about 3 or 4 chapters in April, and my goal was to hit at leats 3,000 hits. Not only did I hit 3,000, I went higher than I thought I would ever go. Breaking Point had over 4,800 hits in April and I have you to thank for it. I'll just have to keep uploading chapters and who knows? Maybe we'll reach 5,000 hits!

Anyway, let's address some reviews!

DeathAngelYugi – Lots of people use Atem and Yami as separate characters. AND I WAS RUNNING OUT OF SUPPORTING CHARACTERS! I needed someone else who wasn't a duel monster, so I brought Atem into the fic. :)

Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret – You guessed right, well done. :)

Everyone who liked the fight scene (SetoKaiba4Life, FallenQueen2, Minieverfeel, WingedVampireGirl, williamsangel88, Amaris The Dark Mage, dreamer1821, IkutoisSmexy, Iris Taishou, Rising Phoenix and anyone I may have forgotten because IT'S 6AM!) – I'm so happy you liked it! I wanted to make it as detailed and awesome as possible, and who knows? I had so much fun writing _that_ fight scene, maybe I'll write another one. :)

On with the fic!

This chapter is brought to you by: "Meteor Shower" – Owl City, "Light" – The Rocket Summer, "Day They Saved Us" – Automatic Loveletter, and "Romance Is," LIGHTS

Chapter 15: Slow it All Down, The Damage is Done

* * *

><p>Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl reappeared in Yugi's bedroom with a flash of light. After landing, they took a quick look around for anything that could be a threat.<p>

"Nobody else is here," Dark Magician Girl declared.

"I'm not picking up traces of anyone," Dark Magician added, "The house is just as we left it."

"Which means Yami still hasn't come back," Atem concluded, glancing at the alarm clock on the nightstand "It's almost 3 o'clock in the morning. This is ridiculous."

The three of them turned their attention to Yugi. He was still sleeping in his bed, just like they had left him. Atem ran a hand through Yugi's hair.

"He seems so peaceful," Atem said, "Even after you informed me of what was going on, I had a hard time believing it to be true. I could never have guessed that Yugi would do this to himself."

"At the very least, the healing arts The Mystical Elf used seem to be working." Dark Magician stated, "The cuts have almost all shut."

"But even so," Dark Magician Girl said, "This whole thing must have been traumatic for him. I'm worried about how he's going to be when he wakes up."

"I agree," Atem told her, "Marik's intent was to break Yugi, body and mind. I'd like to see how far the damage has spread."

"Yugi's body is still recovering though," Dark Magician said, "We won't be able to talk to him until then."

"Not necessarily" Atem looked down at his Millennium Puzzle, then over to Yugi's Puzzle on his dresser.

"You want to go to his soul room?" Dark Magician asked.

"Precisely," Atem answered, "I don't think we can wait around for him to wake up. We need to know what we're dealing with now. I'm going into his soul room to talk to him, and I want you two to come with me."

"We've never been into his soul room before, Atem. Are you sure us going in with you is a good idea?"

"Yugi has no idea I'm here, and if I were to go in alone, it might disturb him even more," Atem said, "The biggest concern I have going in alone is how much I resemble Yami. He may not be able to tell the difference at first and things could get out of hand. He adores the two of you, just as much as you adore him. So, if we all go in together, it won't seem like a threat."

"It makes sense," Dark Magician Girl said, nodding "Yami told us once that Yugi's soul room was almost like his room now. There were toys and games all over, something that fitted him perfectly. I just hope it hasn't changed too drastically."

"Well, we'll never know pondering about it out here," Atem said, the puzzle dangling from his neck starting to glow in correspondence with Yugi's, "Let's go."

The two monsters nodded and with a flash of gold, they were gone.

* * *

><p>They reappeared in the hallway separating Yugi's soul room from Yami's and Atem's. The three of them stared at the door leading to the hikari's soul room.<p>

"Shall we?" Atem nodded, going to open the door. As his fingers brushed the handle, a battalion of soldiers in amethyst coloured armor appeared wielding spears. They surrounded the three and raised their weapons.

"All intruders and threats will be eliminated!" One of the soldiers said.

Dark Magician was about to raise his staff to fight, but Atem placed a hand on the staff.

"This is a defense mechanism Yugi's placed in effect," Atem explained, "Fighting them will only entice Yugi to put up more defenses to stop us from getting inside."

"So, what do we do?" Dark Magician asked, a spear tip poking his arm.

"Well, they said 'intruders and threats' would be eliminated. So, I think all we need to do is declare that we're not a threat," He turned to Dark Magician Girl, "Would you like to do the honors?"

She nodded and turned to the door.

"Yugi! It's just us! We got out of the deck and just want to make sure you're okay! I promise nothing bad will happen if you open the door and let us in! Please Yugi! We're worried about you!"

Upon hearing this, the soldiers drew their spears back. The one that spoke earlier gestured towards the door, which began to open on its own. As it finished opening, the soldiers vanished just as quickly as they appeared.

"It seems to have worked," Dark Magician exclaimed.

"Yes, now lets hurry before Yugi changes his mind," Atem said. They stepped into the soul room, the door closing behind them.

Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl knew that Yugi's soul room would look different from what it once was. But the changes still took them by surprise. The walls had been slashed and were stained with blood. The air was colder that usual and Dark Magician Girl wrapped her arms around her. A chessboard had fallen off of a table and the pieces were all over. The toys that were normally scattered across the room had been thrown at the walls, some of them broken.

In the corner of the room was a bed, but even that had changed. The sheets that were once green had become black and tattered with holes in them. And clinging to those sheets was Yugi. The hikari was shivering and curled into a ball trying to retain some heat. Next to his bed was a nightstand with a knife on it.

"Why don't the two of you go and see if he's okay?" Atem suggested, "I want to take a closer look at the damage in the room."

They nodded and approached the bed while Atem looked at one of the shredded walls. Yugi was facing the opposite direction in his bed.

"Yugi?" Dark Magician Girl called, "It's us. Thank-you for letting us in. We just want to talk. How are you feeling?"

Yugi turned to them, making Dark Magician Girl gasp. His face was gaunt and pale. The rest of his already skinny frame took on a skeletal appearance, and his amethyst eyes were devoid of any luster that they usually held.

"Well," He spoke so softly it was almost inaudible, "It took a long time, but I finally did it. I can't feel anything anymore."

"This again?" Dark Magician asked, "Yugi, do you not remember how well that went over the last time?"

"But this time I had Marik's help. He pointed out everything I was doing wrong and helped me get to where I wanted to be. I don't feel upset about Yami anymore, not in the least."

"But, can you feel anything anymore?" Dark Magician Girl asked, "I mean, think about it Yugi. You may not feel upset about Yami anymore, but now, if what you're saying is true, you have steeled your heart to the point where you can't feel any sort of emotion."

"Yep." Yugi said simply, "Happiness, joy, excitement. The list goes on."

"But was it really worth it? You've robbed yourself of any feeling just to deal with this. There were other ways to do it! You had us! We could have helped you! I mean, look at what you did to yourself! You ravaged your body _again_!"

Yugi gave a sinister laugh that neither monster thought the hikari could muster.

"Have either of you had someone who you shared virtually everything with tear you to pieces? That's how I felt. It was unbearable. Yami told me he didn't blame me for what I did. So, why does it sound like the two of you are trying to demonize me for wanting a way out?"

"That's not what we're trying to do at all!" Dark Magician Girl shook her head, "We want to help you! We can all make sure you'll be okay!"

"Don't make promises you can't keep!" Yugi snorted, "That's what Yami did, and look what happened! Marik showed me! He doesn't care! I made a mistake trusting him again and it put me right back where I started! Why should I make that mistake again with the two of you?"

"I…I…" Dark Magician Girl tried to speak, but her voice began to crack and tears started forming around her eyes. Her teacher looked at Yugi, speechless.

"Well?" Yugi yelled, "Why the hell you should I trust either of you?"

"Because, they mean what they say," Atem said, coming into view and placing a hand on the crying monster's shoulder "I've known these two my whole life. If you don't believe them, take my word for it. Their concern is genuine, as is mine."

"Atem?" Yugi's face went blank and he blinked a few times "What are you doing here?"

"I'm here to help you, Little One," Atem said, sitting on the foot of the bed "Had I known that the situation was this dire, I would have been here from the start."

"_He_ sent you didn't he?" Yugi said, venom dripping from his voice "It's the only reason any of you are here right now! He made the two of you babysitters!" He glared at the monsters, then back to Atem "And you're here because you're the closest thing to him!"

"I understand why you're hurt, but shutting us out won't-"

"_Was_ hurt, Atem! _Was_! But it doesn't matter! I can't be hurt like that anymore!"

Atem looked from Dark Magician to Dark Magician Girl on opposite side of him. He looked back to Yugi and siged.

"Really?" Atem said, coming closer to Yugi "Let's put that to the test, shall we?"

"What are you doing?" Yugi nervously moved away from the oncoming Atem while Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl watched in confusion.

"Breaking the illusion," Atem said, "You think that you can't feel emotion anymore? That's a lie, an escape you thought of that Marik took advantage of. If you couldn't feel emotion anymore, how were you able to get angry with us? That fact, in itself, proves you wrong."

"And I have to wonder," Atem continued, sitting right next to Yugi. "How quickly that steel heart of yours would melt if I was to comfort you the same way Yami did? I think we would see a repeat of what happened last time. Let's test my theory."

"NO!" Yugi screamed and dove for the knife on the nightstand.

"GRAB IT!" Atem yelled. Dark Magician batted it away with his staff just in time. It soared across the room just as Yugi was about to grab it. Yugi watched it land and fell to his knees, shaking uncontrollably. He pulled his arms around his chest and sobbed.

"Yugi…..." Dark Magician Girl said, holding out her hand.

Yugi saw the hand being offered to him and screeched. He crawled away from them and backed himself into a corner.

"What did I do?" Dark Magician Girl asked Atem, who placed his arms out in front of them and backed them up a few steps.

"It seems that Marik's wounds cut deeper than I thought," He replied, "From what I can tell, Yugi has developed a touch of claustrophobia."

"So, now what do we do?" Dark Magician asked, "You're saying he won't let us near him. How can we do anything now?"

"Leave that to me. You two stay back here until I say its okay." Yami took his arms down and approached the trembling hikari.

"Little One," Atem spoke softly, kneeling down in front of Yugi, who turned away from his gaze "By now, you must understand that the three of us mean you no harm at all. We want to help you the right way. We don't want to create any sort of an illusion of false happiness or security. We want to ensure it. We've already made sure that Marik will never hurt you again, and your body has begun to heal all your cuts away."

"B-But…." Yugi stammered.

"The last two people that tried to help you only brought you more pain and suffering," Atem held out his arms, "If you give us a chance, if you open your heart to us, we will never let you down like that. We'll face your problems head on and never leave you to deal with it by yourself."

"But, h-how do I know-?" Yugi started to ask before starting to cry again. Atem gathered what he was trying to ask and nodded.

"Would we be here if we didn't care? We aren't Yami, nor are we Marik. We are three people who care about you so much, you'll never know. You're as much _my_ light and _my_ hikari as you are Yami's. Seeing you like this is tearing me apart and I would give anything to make it all better."

"A-Atem..." Yugi looked up and a dead amethyst met a familiar crimson that was totally unique.

"So please," Atem said gently, his arms began to reach out "Let us help you. Let _me_ help you."

Atem didn't need to reach far. Yugi jumped into the embrace Atem was offering and sobbed into his chest. Atem wrapped his arms around Yugi and began rocking him slowly. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl watched in awe.

"Everything is going to be okay. I promise," Atem whispered, running a hand up and down Yugi's back. He looked up at the monsters and smiled "Would it be okay if I carried you back over to the bed? You must be freezing. If you want, it'll just be you and me. But I think there are a few people who want to talk to you. They'll understand if you want to be left alone though, they won't be upset."

Yugi mumbled something into Atem's chest that he couldn't hear. Atem gently placed his hands on Yugi's arms and moved him in front of him.

"Sorry?" Atem said, wiping a tear from Yugi's face "I couldn't hear you."

"P-please..." Yugi took a breath in and exhaled "Please, take me to them."

"Of course," Atem picked Yugi up bridal style and placed him back on the bed. He motioned for Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to come over. They slowly came over to the bed.

"Can they sit with us?" Atem asked, wrapping an arm around Yugi. A nod from the hikari signaled the monsters to sit on the bed with them.

"How are the three of you still here?" Yugi asked, earning looks from the three of them.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"I'm a wreck." Yugi said, trying to regain control of his breathing "I'm an absolute wreck. I fell to pieces not once, but twice, over Yami. Look at how I dealt with it! And now, I'm afraid if I let anyone near me or touch me that they're just going hurt me like before. And I treated you all terrible when you came inside. Especially you." He looked at Dark Magician Girl "I'm so sorry. You were only trying to help and I said such awful things. You probably don't want anything to do with me anymore."

Dark Magician moved over to Yugi and wrapped him in a hug. He froze in fear at first but slowly returned the embrace with shaky arms.

"I'm not going anywhere." She said "You mean too much to me to leave. You were upset, that's all."

"D- Dark Magician G-" Yugi began to say.

"Mana. Call me Mana. It's my real name. And he's Mahad," She gestured over to Dark Magician "We would never ever leave you at a time like this. This is when you need us the most. We're not going anywhere. Just please, promise me you'll never do something like this again. When I saw you, it scared me to the point I couldn't move. It shook me to the core."

"Really?"

"It's true," Dark Magician told him, "It was unnerving for me as well. I didn't know what to think or do."

"I'm so sorry!" Yugi cried into Dark Magician Girl's shoulder. She held him tightly while Dark Magician placed a hand on his shoulder and Atem ran his hand through his hair.

"Promise us that if you ever have a problem at all, you'll come to us first, okay?" Dark Magician Girl asked.

"I promise," Yugi exhaled.

"Good," Atem stated, "Now that we've taken care of that, there's one more thing we need to deal with. Everyone join hands and close your eyes."

They complied, creating a circle and closing their eyes. The glowing eye appeared on Atem's forehead and there was a flash of gold. Atem opened his eyes and the eye vanished.

"Okay, all done," Atem said, "You can open your eyes now."

"What exactly did you do Atem?" Dark Magician asked, rubbing his temple "It feels like someone punched me in the brain."

/_Oh, nothing special,_/ Atem replied with a smirk.

Yugi's eyes widened in shock and Dark Magician Girl placed a hand at her mouth at hearing Atem's voice in their head.

/_No way!_/ She exclaimed.

/_You mean_?/ Yugi asked.

/_You all guessed right_./ Atem declared, /_I've set up a four way mind link, so now, we can always stay in touch no matter what_. _We can relay messages to the four of us or just individuals_./

/_I gotta say, or think, or whatever._/ Dark Magician Girl said (or thought, or whatever), /_This is a stroke of genius Atem._/

/_Why thank you, Mana,_/ He replied turning to Yugi, "The sun will be up in a few hours. Would you like for us to stay with you until you fall asleep?"

Yugi nodded and Atem smiled. Dark Magician waved his staff and conjured blankets with no holes to flutter on top of Yugi, who was still in Dark Magician Girl's arms. He nuzzled into her and she drew circles into his back. Atem took hold of one of Yugi's small hands and softly squeezed it. Within ten minutes he was sleeping soundly. Dark Magician Girl carefully took Yugi and laid him onto his bed, head on the pillow and brought the new blankets up to his shoulders. As they made their way to the door of the soul room, Atem pocketed the knife that they had stopped Yugi from using.

"Well, I'd call that successful," Atem said as they entered the hallway and shut the door to Yugi's soul room quietly.

"You were brilliant," Dark Magician exclaimed, "We would have never known what to do."

"Well, Mahad, this is far from over. You both go and get some rest. You must be exhausted. We have a lot to do tomorrow, including," A smirk formed on his face "A confrontation with Yami."

"You're really forward to it, aren't you?" Dark Magician Girl asked.

"Mana," Atem replied, "You have no idea."


	16. You Make Me Feel Like I'm Intoxicated

HELLO READERS!

So, this chapter is going to be a nice little break from the past two angsty chapters. Instead, we're heading in the opposite direction into fluff land! YAY! Yay, right?

So, lets get to some reviews!

DemetriaNecrophades – As much as I love Yugi angst, and believe me I do, I've gotta write in a _few_ positive things for him. I mean, let's think about all the terrible crap that's happened to him in this story: Yami abandoned him, he started cutting, I'm still juggling the idea of an eating disorder I had started 5 or 6 chapters back, and now he's developed claustrophobia. Life can't suck much more for Yugi, can it?

FallenQueen2 – Yami vs Atem will _hopefully_ be epic. That whole fight is going to take me an eternity to write, I can feel it. :(

Minieverfeel – PREPARE FOR THE ONSLAUGHT OF FLUFF! :D

WingedVampireGirl – Thanks. And don't worry, this chapter is going to take us all out of angstyland for a bit.

Oh, and before anyone PM's/Reviews asking me to write a YugixDark Magician Girl lemon after reading this chapter, IT'S NOT HAPPENING! The following is as probably as close to any sort of lemon you're ever going to get out of me, BUT ITS NOT A LEMON! I DONT WANNA WRITE A LEMON! AAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!

This chapter is brought to you by "Intoxicated" – The Cab

Chapter 16: You Make Me Feel Like I'm Intxicated (Or the alternate name: The 2,987 word clusterfuck of fluff! AND ITS NOT A LEMON!)

* * *

><p>Yami's eyes opened with a groan. He put a hand to his head, trying to numb the headache he had. He rolled onto his side only to fall to the floor with a thud. He slowly picked himself and looked around. He had been sleeping on a couch in what he figured to be Jou's place. The sound of vomiting drew his attention to a small bathroom to his left. He dragged himself to the doorway to see Honda face first in a toilet with Jou holding his hair.<p>

"Oh, hey, Yami," Jou mumbled over Honda throwing up, "You're finally awake."

Yami blinked a few times at Jou and squinted. He had bruises forming on his face. Honda, who turned from the toilet to greet Yami, was sporting a black left eye.

"What happened to you two?" Yami asked.

They turned to each other with agonized looks on their faces, and then back to Yami.

"Anzu happened to us," Jou admitted.

"Anzu?" Yami asked.

"Yeah," Honda added, "She's not the greatest after you've had a few - BLEEEEEEEEEHHH!"

He was forced to stop talking mid-sentence in order to aim his puke back into the toilet. Jou sighed and held his friend.

"Well, if you two learned how to use what little brains you have, I wouldn't have to do half of what I do!" Came a voice from the living room.

Yami turned to see Anzu holding a huge cup of coffee and a plate of bacon, eggs and toast.

"Aw yeah! Hangover breakfast!" Jou exclaimed, licking his lips "You're the best, Anzu!"

"If you think that this is for you, you can jump in the mess that's coming out of Honda's mouth," Anzu told him, "This is for you, Yami, since you caused me the least amount of grief last night."

Jou looked at the plate of food being offered to Yami and spaced out. He looked like he was on the verge of tears. The sound of Honda's puke hitting the toilet brought him back to reality.

"Oh, and Ryou called. He wanted to thank us for coming. And thank the three of you and Marik for letting Julie go home with five figures worth of tips."

Jou pulled out his wallet and opened it. There was no money left inside.

"NOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO!" Jou screamed. He shoved Honda across the bathroom floor and started to throw up in the toilet.

"Let's go, Yami." Anzu said, "Looks like it's gonna get messy," Yami took the food from Anzu and walked with her out to the living room. They sat down on the couch.

"How are you not feeling like garbage?" Yami asked, sipping the coffee.

"Well, whenever I'm with those two, I have to stay mildly sober," Anzu explained, "Somebody needs to keep them out of trouble and keep them in line."

"They're lucky to have you."

"They really are."

"So, how did I end up here?" He asked, biting into the toast on his plate.

"Well, you stumbled over on Marik's arm. That guy's a tank, going shot for shot with those idiots and not feeling anything. Anyway, he brought you over, gave you to me, you hugged me and then you passed out on the floor."

"It's so weird. I don't remember any of that."

"They're called limits, Yami," She said with a smile, "Get to know yours, or you'll end up like Honda, exchanging bodily fluids with a toilet."

Yami shuddered at the idea before a thought popped into his head.

"Does Yugi know I'm here?"

"I think so. Marik had told me you made a point to call him and let him know that you'd be here tonight."

"Are you sure? I don't remember doing that."

"Do you remember doing anything last night? Besides, Yugi would have called looking for you if you didn't let him know you were here."

Yami breathed a sigh of relief. Anzu's logic made perfect sense. There would be no need to worry about Yugi. He had left him in capable hands, and had let him know that he was going to be staying at Jou's house.. There was no harm done.

"Maybe I should call him again," Yami suggested, but Anzu shook her head.

"Yami, it's way too early to check up on Yugi. You said he's not going to be at school for the rest of the week, so he's probably sleeping in."

Yami nodded in agreement. It was a good idea to let Yugi sleep in. He pictured Yugi, sleeping soundly in his bed. Anzu was right, there was no reason to disturb his hikari. If those cuts were ever going to heal, they would need rest.

"Well, when you put it that way, it makes perfect sense. Thanks, Anzu,"

"Well somebody around here needs to use their brain once in a while," Anzu smiled.

Yami got up and set the rest of his food on the table.

"Where are you going?" Anzu asked.

"I'm going to take a shower and head back home," Yami replied, "Yugi may know where I am, but I don't want to leave him by himself for much longer."

The soud of unified puking from the bathroom made Yami and Anzu gag. She turned to Yami.

"You may want to wait a bit for that shower," She said, "They're going to be in there for a while."

* * *

><p>Yami was right about one thing. Yugi was fast asleep at home. Dark Magician Girl was upstairs watching him while Atem and Dark Magician were in the kitchen making breakfast for everyone. The rest of the night had come and gone with no other problems.<p>

Dark Magician Girl kneeled next to the bed and smiled, taking in Yugi's features. The way his head lay against his pillow with his hair covering it, how the sun was hitting his face, his chest rising and falling to steady breathing, and the overall peacefulness of the boy. He resembled an angel, which didn't surprise Dark Magician Girl seeing as Yugi was a hikari, a being of light. She brought her hand to his face and stroked his cheek with her thumb. She was taken by surprise when he sighed and leaned into her touch.

"_He's so adorable when he's asleep_!" She thought to herself, careful not to let that trickle into the mind link the four of them now shared. She noticed a few strands of hair fell in front of Yugi's face when he moved. She brushed them out of the way, causing Yugi's eyes to flutter open.

"Good morning, Yugi," She said softly, trying to disturb him as little as possible.

Yugi opened his eyes fully to see Dark Magician Girl kneeling next to his bed. He started to take quick heavy breaths and tense up. He curled into a ball, trying to hide from her.

"Yugi are you – Oh crap! I forgot!" Dark Magician Girl said, hitting herself in the head. She turned her attention back to Yugi, who had started to shake. "Yugi, it's alright. It's just me. I'm not going to hurt you."

/_Please, no more._/ Dark Magician Girl heard Yugi in her head, /_I don't want to hurt anymore. Please go away./_

"_Great_," She thought, "_He's using the mind link. 3. 2. 1."_

/_Mana, what's going on?/ _Atem's voice boomed in her head just as she had predicted.

/_It's okay Atem_./ She replied, /_Yugi woke up and I startled him._/

/_Did you want us to come upstairs_?/ asked Dark Magician.

/_No, it's fine. The more people around, the worse I think it'll get. Just leave it to me._/

/_Alright,_/ Atem said, /_We're almost done down here._/

/_Thanks, guys,_/ She said before she turned back to Yugi and sat on the bed "Yugi, I'm not going to hurt you. I'm just going to stay right here. Atem and Mahad are downstairs. Nobody is here that shouldn't be. It's just us, your friends. There's no need for alarm, okay?"

Yugi took a few deep breaths when he realized what she was saying. He stopped shaking and uncurled himself to face her.

"S-Sorry about that," He panted, "It took me a second to clue in."

"No, it was my fault. I had forgotten that you may be a little shaky after last night. My bad."

"So, everything that happened last night wasn't a dream? Atem is here?"

"Yep."

"And Yami isn't?" He asked sadly.

"We haven't seen or heard from him since he left last night."

"And that means Marik was here last night," He said, looking away from her and starting to tremble "Which means that I–"

"Yugi," She said, slowly taking his hands in hers, "Look at me."

Yugi slowly looked up. His amethyst eyes met a pair of emerald eyes.

"What did I tell you before? Everyone makes mistakes," She told him, "But it's okay. Marik won't come near you ever again. Atem's here, Mahad's here and I'm here. And you know not to do something like that again, right?"

Yugi nodded and calmed himself down.

"Great," Dark Magician Girl smiled, "Now, I'd like to see how your injuries are healing. Is that okay?"

Yugi nodded. She brought the blankets covering him down to his waist, revealing the white pajama shirt she had conjured onto him the night before. She carefully took his hand and brought it down to her knee.

"Squeeze my leg if I'm making you uncomfortable and you want me to stop," She instructed. He replied with a nod. "Good. I'm going to unbutton your shirt to see how the cuts are doing. There were some nasty ones on your stomach, and I want to check the one on your back."

Yugi nodded and tried to keep himself as composed as best he could. One of his favourite cards, Dark Magician _Girl_, had him put his hand on her leg and was UNDRESSING HIM!

"Yugi?" she asked, her voice bringing him back down to reality "Is everything okay?"

"Oh, everything's fine," he said quickly, "Don't stop on my account, Dark Magician Girl."

"Yugi," she said, shaking her head and working through the first few buttons "I already told you to call me Mana."

"Sorry. But you'll always be my Dark Magician Girl. Look at all we've been through together."

"Point taken," She smiled as she undid the last button.

She brushed the fabric aside to expose Yugi's chest and stomach. He let out a sigh as the sun placed warm kisses his skin. He looked down and was in complete shock to see the cuts all gone with no trace of them being there at all.

"Looks like you're healing nicely. I can't see any scars either," She said happily, her hands grazing his stomach and wandering up to his chest "That elf, she really knows her stuff."

She pulled the collar of the shirt back so it was hanging loosely from his body. She tugged gently on his neck so she could have a better look, puling him towards her. She traced her free hand across his back where the word "WORTHLESS" was engraved. There was no longer any sign that it existed. She smiled, placing him back on the pillow, hands moving on his chest, giving it another look for abnormailities.

Yugi let out a purr at as her hands grazed trailed to his hips. He tried his best to control his blushing, but it was way out of his control. He felt so good and warm that stars began to appear in his line of vision, so he closed his eyes.

"Yugi, what's wrong?" She asked, hearing him and looking up from his chest to meet his eyes.

"Nothing." He squeaked, his eyes shooting back open.

"You're turning red. Where does it hurt?"

"Breakfast is ready! Who wants–_WHOA_!" Dark Magician was standing in the doorway holding two plates of pancakes, his face blank and his jaw hanging. He had walked into the room to see his student's hands on Yugi's bare chest and his hand on her leg.

"Mahad, what's wrong?" Atem asked, stepping into the room, carrying two more plates of pancakes "I heard you from the–_Oh,_" A smirk formed on his face and he looked at Yugi, "It looks like someone's feeling better already. Well done, Little One. I'm impressed."

Yugi couldn't take it anymore. His entire body flushed a ruby red and he buried his face in his hands. He murmured something into his hands that nobody heard.

"What?" Dark Magician Girl asked, not understanding the fuss at all, "I was checking his injuries. I don't get it. What?" She looked at Atem, "What?" She glanced at Dark Magician, "What's wrong?" She looked at Yugi, who started to shake his head, "What's the pro-" Her face went blank as she clued in. If she was embarrassed, she did a good job of hiding it and brought a hand to her forehead, "You're all idiots, every single one of you. Well, maybe not so much you, Yugi," She ruffled his hair and began buttoning his shirt back up.

"All awkward situations aside," Atem chuckling, "How are you feeling, Yugi? Aside from the treatment Mana was giving you, which looked wonderful."

Yugi groaned through his hands and Dark Magician Girl shook her head and with a smile. She took a plate from her teacher and playfully swatted Atem on the arm.

"Idiot," She rolled her eyes.

Yugi took his hand away from his face to talk. He was still blushing like crazy.

"Fine. Thanks for asking," He said bashfully, "The cuts are all gone."

"Excellent." Dark Magician said, "The Mystical Elf said your body would begin to replenish the blood in your system as soon as the injuries were healed."

"Great," Atem said, handing a plate to Yugi "Everybody stay silent for a bit."

"Why?" Dark Magician Girl asked, "Do you sense something?"

"No," Atem laughed, "I just want to make sure I never forget what I just saw."

"_ATEM_!" Yugi screamed in embarrassment. He grabbed a pillow and threw it at the Pharaoh. He landed a direct hit in the face of the unsuspecting 3000-year-old spirit. They all watched as the pillow unstuck itself from Atem's face and fall to the floor.

"Nobody talk," Yugi said cheekily, "I don't want to ever forget that."

"Now I _know_ you're feeling better," Atem said with a chuckle. He took the pillow and propped it behind Yugi. He helped the hikari adjust himself in a sitting position so he could eat. Yugi picked up his fork and took a bite of the food Atem gave him.

"This is really good!" He exclaimed, "I didn't know either of you knew how to cook!"

"We aren't neanderthals, Yugi," Dark Magician said with a smile, "We know how to work pretty much everything in the house. We've seen you do it enough times that we can manage on our own."

"Hm, I get it," Yugi said. He put down his fork and watched as the monsters ate their breakfast.

"Yugi? You're staring," Dark Magician said, looking down at the hikari.

"Oh, sorry," Yugi said, his blush returning, "It's just a little funny seeing the two of you eat."

"Why?" Dark Magician Girl asked, her mouth full of pancakes "We have to eat too."

"What do you eat in there?" Yugi asked, pointing to the deck on the table.

"Oh, in there it's different," Dark Magician explained, "In there, we're sustained by our magic. Out here, we have to keep ourselves sustained like you, like mortals."

"Speaking of being a mortal, there's something I wanted to run by you," Atem said, looking at the boy.

"What is it Atem?" Yugi asked, looking up at the powerful pharaoh.

"Well, Mahad and I were talking downstairs," Atem explained, "And we were trying to find out a way to be with you at all times, so you won't be by yourself. And then it came to me. We could take on mortal form and go to school with you. That way, you'll never be alone. We would always be there to watch over you and keep you safe."

Yugi's eyes widened and was about to speak when Dark Magician Girl cut in.

"Can we do that?" She asked, "I mean, something like that won't be a problem for you Atem since you can take mortal form permanently if you wanted. It's a little different for the two of us."

"That's true, Mana," Dark Magician replied, "But there's a few spells that Atem can use that would grant us his stability in the mortal world. Those Millennium Items truly are powerful," He gestured to the puzzle hanging around Atem's neck, "It would be like a happy medium for us, and don't worry. We wouldn't be stuck out here, we could return to the deck at any time."

"Well, what do you think? Is this something that would make you happy?" Atem asked Yugi with a smile.

"I'd love that!" Yugi grinned a grin that stretched across his face. His amethyst eyes lit up and shone the way they used to.

"Wonderful! Then it' settled!" Atem exclaimed, coming over and wrapping his arms around Yugi "We'll stay by your side as long as you need us."

"Atem..." Yugi nuzzled into the spirit's chest. It wasn't long before Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl joined in the hug.

A sound from downstairs broke the silence and caused everyone to look at the doorway.

"That sounded the door opening," Dark Magician exclaimed.

"I didn't hear a bell," Yugi said, "So it couldn't have been the shop's door. We're closed until Grandpa gets back anyway."

"So that leaves the main door," Dark Magician Girl added, "Does that mean–"

"Say no more Mana," Atem said, rising to his feet, "I can feel his presence in the house. Yami has returned."


	17. One Word, and It's Over

HELLO READERS!

Well, here we are. The moment everyone has been waiting for: The confrontation between Yami and Atem. To be honest, I wasn't sure how to approach it. But, the hype that has been built in the past few chapters has put me in a mindset of "Go Big or Go Home". This has now become bigger than the huge fight scene in chapter 14, and I had my fair share of issues with that one. I wanted to make this confrontation as intense as possible I guess for this, I'll just leave it here to be looked at and critiqued by you, the readers.

Let's address some reviews.

SetoKaiba4Life, IkutoisisSmexy, hippiechickie24 and Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret – I posted that little disclaimer for one reason: The Internet can be a freaky and messed up place ;) . YxDMG already exists and while I view the pairing as certainly close friends and guardian, it isn't something I personally see going to a romantic level.

As far as Atem and Yugi, addressing you IkutoisisSmexy and SetoKaiba4Life, there will always be potential for a relationship there, but I don't feel I could write it. You know, a lot of reviews that I get for this story praise the emotional connection that you, the readers, get from my writing. From the chills from the early chapters, to the intensity of the fight scene, to the anger most of you feel at Yami. Truthfully, anybody could write something like this. But it takes a special, genuine quality to write a successful couple/romance/lemon fic and leave readers coming back for more. It can't just chapter 1: date and chapter 2: sex, and whatnot. And I see that in a lot of the stuff I read, on and off this site. I felt I was kind of stepping outside my comfort zone writing the part with a shirtless Yugi and DMG, maybe a step in the right direction as far as a start to what I'd like to be able to write. And while I feel that writing this story has honed my skill, I don't think I'm at that level yet. Who knows? Maybe in later, later chapters we could give it a try. Or maybe, I'll write an alternate ending as another story. But please, don't keep your hopes up for a pairing like that any time soon. I feel I'd just disappoint.

- End Rant. :)

DemetriaNecrophades – I wouldn't go as far as to call Yugi 'fixed' at this point. He's just learned that self-harm will not help solve his problems at all. And don't worry, I'm sure there's more angsty bits coming up. The eating disorder thing really isn't a secret, as Yami pointed out all the weight Yugi lost before, and I described him as gaunt in his soul room. Remember, I love me some Yugi angst just as much as you do, its just gotta make sense. On another thing you and I agree on, what the hell is the point of Yami angst? "WHAAA! I DON'T KNOW WHO I AM!". I don't get the appeal at all. Also, thank you for pointing out my name error in the previous chapter. That's what I get for writing in the middle of the night during a bit of insomnia. And yes, Yami Marik is still alive even after the shit kicking he got a few chapters back. I don't think I'm done with him yet. ;)

williamsangel88 – Yami's reaction was justified with Anzu's logic as he was filling in the dots after blacking out at Change of Heart. All the drinks I listed in that chapter are real and will mess you up (DISCLAIMER: YOU DON'T HAVE TO DRINK TO HAVE A GOOD TIME KIDS!). I've had friends wake up with after blackouts, confessing love to people the night before, running away from their own party after rejection, almost throwing up on their laptop and not remembering anything about it. Thus leaving me to fill in the blanks for said friends. I think that this would have only made sense if you were friends with a few heavy drinkers. As far as breaks in the chapters go, I tried making some lines in Word, but they don't show up on the site. Should I put them in the document after I upload to the site? Meh, I'll figure something out. And when I do, I'll go back and correct the previous breaks.

Anyway, I really hope this chapter delivers!

This chapter is brought to you by: "Raise Your Weapon" – DeadMau5 featuring Greta Svabo Bech, "Somebody That I Used to Know" – Gotye featuring Kimbra, "Hush" – Automatic Loveletter (OOOH! First recurring song!)

Chapter 17: One Word, and It's Over

* * *

><p>"Yugi, would you please shut down the mind link you share with Yami?" Atem asked, moving towards the hallway, "I don't want him looking for you to defend him during our little talk."<p>

"Okay," Yugi nodded and closed his eyes. He opened them again and looked at Atem, "It's shut. I won't be able to hear him."

"Excellent. Now, I'd like for the two of you to remain up here with Yugi," Atem motioned towards Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl, "The last thing I want is for him to be by himself if he hears anything that happens downstairs."

"Sure thing," Dark Magician Girl replied, wrapping an arm around Yugi "and smiling "We'll make sure he's okay."

"Alright," Atem smiled back, moving out of the room, "Here we go."

"Atem?" Yugi called from the bed.

"Yes Yugi?"

"I know that Yami made a mistake, but please don't be too hard on him," Yugi said, "He may have messed up, and I may have done some stuff because of it, but he's still my Yami no matter what. I just want to have things the way there with him."

"Little One," Atem sighed and gave Yugi a small smile, "You truly are a hikari. Only someone so enveloped in light could ever make a request like that, after someone you care about so much caused you so much pain."

He stepped back to Yugi and ruffled his hair, "Yami is truly lucky to have you as his light. I'm going to remind him of how special you really are. I'll do it my way, but I'll keep what you said in mind, okay?"

"Alright. Good luck Atem." Yugi said with a small smile, "And thanks."

"Anytime," Atem nodded, shutting the door and proceeding downstairs.

Yugi sighed, laid his head on Dark Magician Girl's shoulder and closed his eyes. No matter how much he begged he knew Atem was going to tear Yami to pieces.

* * *

><p>Yami stepped into the house and shut the door. He managed to get a shower in between Honda and Jou's puking sessions. All of Jou's clothes were dirty, so he just wore what he had on the night before home.<p>

"Whew," Yami said to himself, shutting the door, "I made it home with no issue. For once everything turned out perfectly."

"If only that were true," Came a voice that was identical to his.

"Wow," Yami exclaimed, "That's the last time I try and keep up with everybody drinking. My brain is talking to me."

"Well, that would certainly make the situation different than what it is. Though I'm not sure if it would be for the better."

"Brain, what are you talking about?"

"Oh, for Ra's sake. Turn around." The voice said, irritably.

Yami turned around from the door to the kitchen, to have his crimson eyes widen with shock as they stared into a pair eerily similar to his. He stepped forward to make sure he wasn't seeing things. Standing in front of him, was an almost picture perfect copy of him. The only difference was the clothing from a different time in history and the darker skin.

"Atem, why are you here?" Yami asked, "Is something going on?"

"We need to talk," Atem replied, motioning towards a chair at the kitchen table, "Sit down."

"Where's Yugi?" Yami asked, stepping into the kitchen, "What's going on?"

"We'll get to that in a minute," Atem gestured to the chair again, "Take a seat."

"I'd rather stand, if that's okay with you," Yami replied, a little irritated on how short Atem was being with him.

"Suit yourself," The spirit shrugged, "We're going to have this talk whether you're standing up or sitting down."

"Fine. What is so important that you need to talk to me about? And why won't you tell me where Yugi is?"

"Yugi is upstairs in his bedroom, along with Mana and Mahad. And we're going to talk about your recent negligence when it comes to caring for your hikari."

"This is why you're here?" Yami asked angrily, "You're here to tell me what a terrible job I've been doing? Look Atem. Yugi and I are fine now. I made a few mistakes, but everything's okay. He's not cutting himself anymore, and he even put enough trust in me to ask me go to Change of Heart for him in his place. I think I've been doing a good job fixing the damage I cause."

"Yami, if that were true, would I be standing here right now?" Atem asked simply, "I'll give you credit for the steps you took after you found out about everything. But your recent actions undid everything you accomplished, and made things even worse."

"What?" Yami's eyes widened, "Did something happen to Yugi?"

"Yes," Atem nodded, "Something that could have been easily prevented had you kept your word to him. If you were here when you said you were going to be last night, this disaster would have never occurred and we wouldn't be having this conversation right now."

"But I phoned! I let him know that I would be staying at Jou's last night!"

"No Yami, you didn't. If you did, there's no doubt in my mind that everything would be fine. But because you didn't, a catastrophe ensued and we almost lost Yugi."

"What?" Yami exclaimed, "But how? What happened? Let me see him!"

"That decision is out of both our hands," Atem said coldly, "If Yugi wants to speak with you, that will be up to him. It's not my place, nor anyone else's to keep you from seeing him."

"Well, you're _doing _a great job Atem!" Yami said sarcastically, "Let me go and see my light! I'll hear what happened from _him_!"

"Yugi is in no condition to speak with you. I told him that I would do this in his place."

"What do you mean 'no condition'? Spit it out Atem! What happened?"

"We'll get to that, don't worry." Atem said simply, "But first, it's important that we hear what happened from your perspective. What do you think happened?"

"I don't know! I wasn't here! Why didn't Yugi use the mind link? I would have–"

"Are you seriously trying to blame _Yugi_ for anything that happened last night?" Atem asked angrily, stepping towards Yami, "He tried the mind link! You never answered! He is the _victim_ in all of this Yami! Don't you dare forget that!"

"I know that!" Yami replied frustratingly, "Look, I can barely remember anything that happened last night!"

"Well, lets start with what you _do_ remember."

"I don't have time for this! If Yugi is in such bad shape, I should be with him."

"I already told you. Mana and Mahad are with him. Yami, your story please."

"Fine," Yami growled, "Jou, Anzu, Honda and I went to the nightclub. We met up with Ryou, Malik and their Yami's. Jou and Marik began a drinking contest that I took part in, until about halfway through. Later in the night, Marik and I started to talk over a drink. And that's it."

"Yami," Atem sighed, bringing a hand to his head as if he was trying to soothe a headache "How could you have been so careless? You know how dangerous Marik is, and you shared drinks with him? By yourself, no less."

"I was already drinking! I wasn't thinking straight!"

"And tell me, did Marik or Jou force those drinks down your throat? That's your excuse?"

"No, it's my explanation. The one you've been asking for this whole time."

"Well, let me fill you in on the rest," Atem said, trying to keep what Yugi had asked him in mind "After you had blacked out, Marik came here."

"He came here? He had no reason to be here!"

"Oh, he had a reason to be here," Atem said gravely, "Within an hour, he had almost completely destroyed Yugi."

"How is that possible? I had left him protection!"

"Mana and Mahad were both overpowered and trapped in the deck. That left Marik all alone with Yugi," Atem explained, "It didn't take him long to do what he came to do. He manipulated Yugi, filling his mind with thoughts of abandonment by you and a false escape from everything. Yugi was so distraught and confused that he believed everything Marik said and followed all of his instructions."

"By the time Mana and Mahad were able to break the seal on the deck, the damage was already done," Atem continued, "They found Yugi in the bathroom, a bloody, broken mess. Marik was nowhere to be found."

"If they were only able to break out sooner. Maybe they could have–"

"Once again, you are quick to blame others for where you yourself fall short!" Atem roared, "You are also quick to forget that Marik is the wielder of the Millennium Rod! What real chance did those two have against that kind of power? As soon as they had broken free, they found Yugi and saved him by bringing him to the Mystical Elf. Had it not been for those two, Yugi would have died. Remember that the next time you think that they were at fault at all."

"When I get my hands on Marik, I'm going to–" Yami started, but Atem raised a hand.

"Marik has already been dealt with. The three of us paid him a visit after Mahad came to get me, for Mana had gone on her own to fight. Marik is not our concern right now, though it would be wise to once again distance ourselves from him."

"If you're talking about me then–"

"Of course I'm talking about you!" Atem snapped, "Don't you see? Marik planned this from the beginning! Yugi wasn't his primary target at all! It was _you_! He was trying to get at you _indirectly_! He needed to keep you away from Yugi long enough to break him! That was the motivation behind everything! And now he did! And here we are!"

"This is madness!" Yami said shaking his head in disbelief, "This can't have happened!"

"Are you too weak to admit when you've made a mistake? Or do you find some sort of comfort, like Yugi tried to do, wallowing in agony?" Atem screamed, the Millennium Eye glowing on his forehead "Either way, if you don't believe me still, see for yourself!"

He grabbed Yami and pulled his head towards the glowing eye. The instant Yami touched the eye, his eyes went blank as he saw everything that happened the night before. He gasped as he saw Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl thrown back into the deck, his breathing quickened as Marik lead Yugi into the bathroom, pulling out the knife and he let out a scream when Yugi sliced into himself and collapsed. When the images faded, Atem pulled away from Yami, whose eyes returned to normal and was struggling to calm down. The eye glowing on Atem's forehead vanished.

"Do you believe it all now?" Atem asked, "This is the damage caused by your negligence! You put his life in mortal danger! Anything you think you've repaired has been wiped away by this lack of responsibility!"

"I…No..." Yami breathed.

"The idea of losing Yugi sends chills to my heart," Atem sighed, "I treat him with the care, love and respect I would treat my hikari. Because in a lot of ways, he _is_ my hikari, just as much as he is yours. And I in turn, am _his_ darkness just as much as you are. But the main thing is that we _didn't_ lose him. He is alive. Damaged, but alive. The next step for us needs to be–"

"I need to see him." Yami interrupted.

"What did I tell you before? He is in no condition to–"

"I don't care!" Yami screamed, shoving Atem aside and bounding up the stairs.

"Fool," Atem muttered, and ran up after him.

* * *

><p>Yugi hadn't moved since Atem had shut the door. The three hadn't heard the argument word for word, but they were able to make out what each had said when they raised their voice. Anytime this would happen, Yugi would close his eyes and whimper, wishing it would all just end. And anytime Yugi did that, Dark Magician Girl would squeeze his hand in solace.<p>

The sound of someone coming up the stairs drew all their attention back from the floor to the door.

/_Lock the door,_/ They heard in their heads, /_Yami is trying to get to Yugi_./

Dark Magician got up off the bed and quickly moved across the room to the door, but he was too late. Yami burst into the room, almost knocking the purple armored monster over. He scanned the room until his eyes landed on his hikari, who gripped Dark Magician Girl's arm.

"Yugi!" Yami screamed, running towards Yugi. Dark Magician Girl got up and moved in front of Yami with her hands stretched outwards, shielding Yugi.

"Yami! Hold on!" Dark Magician Girl pleaded, trying to stop him.

"Why? I need to see him!" Yami screamed.

"Because he's kind of clau– _oof_!" She tried to explain, but Yami shoved her aside. He jumped on the bed and squeezed Yugi as tight as he could. Upon contact, Yugi's eyes widened and he gasped.

"Yugi! I'm so sorry that happened to you! It was all my fault! I should have come back! I'm so sorry! I'll never leave you alone again!"

When he wasn't met with a response, he looked down at Yugi. The hikari was having trouble breathing. He began to shake as amethyst eyes locked with his crimson, were glazed with shock.

"Yugi?" Yami asked, looking up and down for the cause of panic, "What's–"

"GET AWAY!" Yugi let out in a blood-curdling scream, "LET GO OF ME!" Yami let go of Yugi, who squeezed his eyes shut and covered his ears. He curled into a fetal position and kept screaming, causing Yami to take a step back.

"What?" Yami whispered, "What is this?"

"Oh for–_MOVE_!" Yami was shoved back to the other side of the room by the monsters. He took a few steps closer but stopped as they raised their staffs, and pointed them at him.

"What are you two doing?" Yami roared.

"Protecting our Master!" Dark Magician said boldly, leaving Yami's face blank, "Yami, I'm sorry, but we can't let you come any closer."

He nodded to Dark Magician Girl, who moved back and knelt down near Yugi. Yugi took his shaky hands away from his ears and his screaming reduced to crying upon seeing her.

"Yugi? It's okay," Dark Magician Girl said softly, sitting on the other side of the bed "It's just me, it's Mana. You know, Dark Magician Girl? Yami won't come near you. Mahad, Dark Magician to you, and I won't let him do anything to you. Nothing is going to happen to you, I promise. Do you think I can come closer? Or can you come to me? It's up to you. Take your time."

Yugi nodded and slowly uncurled himself and crawled into her lap. She placed an arm around him and nuzzled his hair. Yami watched in awe as she began to calm him down.

"Selfish," Atem said as he entered the room, locking eyes with Yami, "That's what you are, Yami. I had told you countless times Yugi wasn't ready for this, but you wouldn't listen. You had to do things your way, just like last time. That lack of care is what's doing this Yami! If you don't believe me, look there," He pointed to Yugi, who's shaking had subsided to mild twitching. His face was stained with tears and his eyes were red and puffy.

"Atem, that's enough!" Yami shouted, "All you've done since I've stepped in the door is tell me what a terrible job I've been doing! But how am I expected to make up for it when you won't let me near him?"

"Because Yugi isn't ready for that!" Atem shot back, "Were you not paying attention at all when you barged in? He needs time Yami! Don't you see that?"

"I've had just about enough of you criticizing how I handle things!" Yami yelled, beginning to glow black.

"You're too reckless and you don't see what the result of your actions will be for those around you!" Atem thundered, glowing gold "It's time somebody put you in your place!"

Yami pushed his hand in front of him and shot a black thunderbolt at Atem, who caught it in his hand. Atem waved his hand, causing a blinding light that forced Yugi, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl to cover their eyes. When they opened them, Atem was standing over Yami, who had been knocked down.

"Never forget your place with me Yami." Atem said harshly, "You are an incomplete version of me. A shadow of what I am. Don't you _ever_ forget that."

"Bastard," Yami growled under his breath, but Atem caught it.

"You need a reminder _that_ quickly?" Atem roared, raising his hands above his head and creating a brilliant light "You truly are pathetic!"

Yami closed his eyes as Atem brought his hands down.

"_STOP!_" Yugi cried out.

Everyone looked at him. He was staring right at Atem, wide-open amethyst eyes piercing the crimson.

"Little One…." Atem said softly.

"No more," He said, shaking his head. He was trembling, "Please, just stop."

Atem nodded. He brought his hands back to his sides, extinguishing the light and halting the aura around him. Yami followed suit, losing the black glow as he got up and looked at Yugi.

"Yami," Yugi said in between sobs, looking at Yami "I want to talk to you about this. I really do, but I can't. I just can't!"

Yugi buried his face in Dark Magician Girl's shoulder and began to cry. Atem sighed and looked at Yami.

"I think it would be best, for all of us," He said, glancing around the room and back to Yami "If you were to leave this house for a while in order to give Yugi some space."

"That's ridiculous!" Yami shouted, "This is the time when he needs me the most!"

"Yugi? Is this something that you want?"

Yami gave him a pleading look. This only made Yugi break down more as he nodded and quickly returned to crying into Dark Magician Girl.

"That settles it," Atem said simply, "Pack your things, Yami."

"Yugi," Yami said, "You can't mean–"

"You heard him! Now _go_!" Atem ordered.

Yami gave one last look Yugi's way before turning around and walking out.

"This isn't over, Atem," Yami said, menacingly.

"Hardly," Atem replied, "The door's that way."

Yami growled as he left the room. Atem shut and locked the door as soon as he was out of the room. He stepped over to the bed and kneeled in front of Yugi, placing a hand on his shoulder.

"I'm sorry, Little One." Atem said, shame peppering his voice, "I couldn't stop him from coming up here. I'm sorry that you were dragged into this, and that you had to see that. Forgive me."

"This is all my fault, isn't it?" Yugi said, looking at him, "All of this is because of me! I sent Yami away!"

"No Yugi, it's not," Atem told him peacefully, "It's like I told Yami downstairs. You are the victim in all this. You need this. When you're ready to confront Yami, you will. But you can't do it now."

Atem sat on the bed and took gently took Yugi out of Dark Magician Girl's lap, placing him in his. Yugi buried his face in Atem's chest, crying his heart out. Atem rocked him slowly back and forth, trying his best to soothe him.

* * *

><p>On the other side of the door Yami stood with a backpack full of stuff. His hikari's cries were like knives to his heart. He sighed, knowing Atem had locked the door. Even if he broke it down, it would just cause another scene, and Yugi didn't need that. He swung his backpack over his shoulder, headed down the stairs taking one last look at the house, and out the door.<p> 


	18. Scribbled Out the Truth with Their Lies

HELLO READERS!

Surprise! A new chapter out of the blue! My apologies about the wait, but I've been preparing for the amazing weekend that will be ANIME NORTH! It's my second year going, and this year, I'm cosplaying. It's something I never thought I'd do, but I think its something I really want to do. I'm going to be doing only Kingdom Hearts copslays for my first time. One day, I'm going as Xigbar, and the other I'm going as Roxas. I think the thing that's freaking me out the most are the wigs. Yes, the WIGS! My hair is naturally brown, poofy and curly, so a multicoloured ponytail and gravity defying blonde spikes will be quite the change for me. Then there's all the care for them. But I think what I'm going to do is treat cosplay kind of like I treated Breaking Point at the beginning. I'll do it, and if I like it and other people like it/appreciate it, then I'll continue. So long story short, May sucks for updates. :(

Oh, remember when I said I had the whole story figured out? Yeah, Chapter 12 happened and then things just spiraled out of control. So now, we'll see what happens. My bad.

Alright, the last chapter was the big confrontation! I was nervous it wouldn't live up to expectations, but as usual, I was wrong. Let's look at some reviews! :)

hippiechickie24 – IT'S A TUNIC! NOT A DRESS! XD

Minieverfeel – Well, seeing as how Yami hasn't exactly been up to snuff as Yugi's darker half, I'm sure there's going to be a chance for redemption. Eventually.

DemetriaNecrophades – Yes, run to the aid of Yami Marik so I can crush him in later chapters! BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA!

ReveilleWolfie – To your point on Yami's selfishness: CAN I GET AN AMEN?

.owered – I can't really see revenge in the cards for Yami right now. In the future maybe.

Hyper 4-chan – Flaming, in my opinion, is when people on this damn site review more-or-less as such: "THIS FUCKING SUCKS! CAN YOU NOT WRITE AT ALL OR DID YOU EAT PAINTCHIPS WHEN YOU WERE A KID?". Luckily for me, such a reviewer has not found their way to Breaking Point. I've been blessed with amazing readers, such as yourself, who give me constructive criticism as well as compliment what they like so far. So no, I don't think you flamed at all. You asked me a legitimate question about my story.

Now, to get to the question: Why is it all Yami's fault? In truth, it's not. While he could not have predicted the note being stolen (Which will be addressed eventually. I write my Author's Notes before the actual chapter, so for all I know, I already tackled it.), he could have used the mind link for himself, excused himself early, or called to check up on Yugi when he was at Change of Heart. He told Atem in Chapter 17 that his drunkenness wasn't an excuse, but rather his explanation. So yes, he is at fault for drinking with a MORTAL ENEMY and not thinking it was a terrible idea, regardless of how much alcohol was in his system. Then there's the part about him not taking responsibility for his mistakes regarding Yugi's safety. So, he's at fault for that. The last few chapters have had Atem step in, assist Yugi and build up this confrontation with Yami, so that's why the story may have seemed all "BLAME YAMI FOR EVERYTHNG!", but that's not the case. Atem doesn't know about the note at all. And while I don't see that as Yami's saving grace, it will help him get back on Atem's good side just a bit. Anyway, I hope that answers your question and thanks for the review! :)

Anywho, let's do this!

This chapter is brought to you by: "Ups and Downsizing" - The Swellers, "All of You" - Vertical Horizon, "Crushcrushcrush" - Paramore

Chapter 18: Scribbled Out the Truth with Their Lies

* * *

><p><em>Knock<em>. _Knock_. _Knock_.

Yami stood at the door of Jou's house with his backpack of stuff. He had taken what Atem had said to heart and thought back to what happened back at the house. If there was going to be any sort of reconciliation between him and Yugi, he would need to give his light a bit of time and space. He sighed, hoping he wouldn't have to wait too long before he got to talk to Yugi again.

The handle turned and the door swung open. Ryou stood on the other side with an wet cloth in his hand.

"Hi Yami," The hikari said with a smile, "Come on in."

"Thanks," Yami nodded, stepping inside the house "When did you get here?"

"About half an hour ago," Ryou, shut the the door behind them, "I came to see how everyone was doing after last night. They're all in the dining room. Let's go."

The silver haired hikari led the vexed darkness into the dining room. Anzu was sitting at the table, rummaging through her purse. Jou was next to her with a cloth on his face. Honda was on the opposite side of the table, resting his head on it.

"Looks like I'm out of Aspirin, Jou," Anzu sighed, moving her hands out from her purse and looking at Jou. She hadn't noticed Ryou and Yami walk in.

"Mmaekjbck" Jou grumbled through the cloth on his face.

"Well, what do you want from me? I didn't make you get into a drinking contest with Marik! Now you're paying the price!"

"Don't be so loud!" Honda groaned, pressing his hands to his ears.

"Ooooooh!" Anzu shrieked, "One of these days I'm not going to be around to take care of you when you both decide to be idiots! And when that happens I'll–Oh, Yami," She had just noticed Yami and Ryou standing in the doorway "You're back so soon."

"Yeah," Yami said, looking down at the carpet.

"What's with the backpack?" Anzu asked with a smile, "Yugi kick you out or something?"

Yami just stood in silence. He finally looked up at everyone and sighed. Ryou and Anzu's jaw's dropped at light speed.

"Wait, _what_?" Ryou asked, stunned. He threw the soaking wet cloth at Jou's face. It landed on target with a _splat_ and a surprised scream from Jou. Ryou pulled out two chairs for himself and Yami. They both sat down, Yami dropping his bag on the ground.

"So, Yugi _actually_ kicked you out?" Anzu asked, "Just like that? I don't understand."

"Technically it wasn't Yugi," Yami replied, "It was Atem."

"Atem? He's back?" Came a sneer from the hallway.

Everyone looked up to see Bakura in the hallway. He was carrying a bucket full of cleaning supplies and wearing yellow spandex gloves.

"He's back alright," Yami replied, "What's with the getup? I never thought you were the maid type."

"Ryou dragged me over here with him..." Bakura explained, "That bathroom looked like something out of a horror movie. Ryou convinced me I should help out in some way for introducing me to this waitress last night. And for the love of Ra," He turned to Anzu, "Please tell me that they're done in there. That's the fourth time I've had to redo the bathroom because they can't keep their guts under control."

"Don't worry," She said, turning to Jou "He's as empty as his wallet."

"Don't remind me," Jou wailed through the cloths on his face.

"Hear that, Jou?" Anzu asked, putting a hand to her ear and smirking, "That's the sound of Julie's plane taking off to New York for two weeks!"

"Kill me now," Jou mumbled.

"Anyway, Atem's back," Bakura said, turning back to Yami "What's he doing here?"

"He's here to look after Yugi, seeing as I couldn't," Yami frowned

"Let me get this straight," Bakura smirked, "That 3000 year old fool is looking after Yugi? That's rich! Cleaning up that hellhole was well worth it just so I could hear that!"

"Bakura, enough!" Ryou told his darker half, earning a 'hmph' from Bakura. This made Yami blink with surprise. As long as he had known the two of them, Bakura had always held the power over Ryou. In the beginning, there were signs of his dominance in the form of bruises all over Ryou's body. Eventually, the abuse had subsided and they had obtained a friendship of sorts. But Yami had never imagined Ryou could muster enough courage to command Barkura to do something, let alone Bakura actually doing it.

"So, Atem's back because he thinks you're not doing a good job?" Ryou asked, turning back to Yami.

"He's back because I'm _not_ doing a good job," Yami sighed.

"What do you mean?" Anzu asked, "I thought Yugi was on the mend."

"So did I," Yami said, "But I guess I was wrong."

"I still don't understand," Anzu said, "You've been attached to Yugi's side since you found out what he was doing."

"It's all about what happened last night," Yami explained, "We all went to the club. I left Yugi with some protection and –"

"Protection?" Ryou asked, "What do you mean?"

"Isn't it obvious?" Bakura rolled his eyes, "He summoned monsters from his deck to protect him while he was away."

"You can do that?" Ryou eyes widened. Jou and Honda snapped out of their hangover agony to listen, "That's so cool!"

"But I'm guessing by the look on your face that whoever you summoned didn't do a good enough job." Bakura sneered, "I'm curious Yami, who did you call? Was it that trio of weakling knights? That little puffball? Or maybe it was the patronizing purple idiot and his feisty little student."

"Bakura!" Ryou warned, turning back to Yami. "Ignore him, Yami. So you left Yugi in the care of a few Duel Monsters. Then what?"

"Bakura's right, I left Yugi with Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl," Yami continued, "We went out. We met up with all of you at the bar, and that's where things start to get a little fuzzy. I remember starting to drink with everyone, then after we all dispersed, I had a drink with Marik. After that, I can't remember anything that happened at the club that night."

"It's like I explained before, Yami," Anzu told him, "Marik basically tossed you to me before you blacked out. He told me you had called Yugi and told him you were staying here."

"That..." Yami's fists clenched, "That was a lie. I didn't end up calling Yugi. He told you that so none of us would contact him. Then Marik made his way to our house. He took out Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl. Marik said to Yugi that we abandoned him because I didn't come home and I never called, mind linked, anything. He gave Yugi a knife…And together they...they…" Yami put his head in his hands, Anzu placed a hand on his shoulder "He sent Yugi into such a cutting frenzy that he almost died."

Ryou put his hands to his mouth. Anzu gasped and clenched Yami's shoulder. Bakura remained expressionless. Honda looked to Jou, whose fists were clenched.

"Atem thinks Marik hurt Yugi to get to me. It makes sense too. It's all my fault," Yami said grimly, "It's all –"

"No its not," Jou said, causing everyone to look his way "It's _my_ fault too. If I wasn't stupid and paid attention to Yug, this wouldn't have happened. I shoulda known better than to start a drinking contest with Marik. We're best friends and I treated him like dirt."

"It's not just you two," Anzu chimed in, "It's my fault too. I didn't see the signs after you got your body Yami. I don't know how I let it get to this. If I had just called, or something to let him know I still cared, we wouldn't be having this conversation."

"Me too," Honda added, "I should have kept an eye on Yugi, and I didn't. I guess this is what we all get."

"Everyone…." Yami looked around the table.

"So don't worry Yami," Anzu said, "This isn't a burden you need to carry alone. This is something we were all part of, so we'll help fix it any way we can."

"What I don't understand is how Marik found out about Yugi cutting in the first place," Ryou said, "I mean from what you're saying, he would have needed to know a lot about the situation for him to do something like this. Yugi can be a pretty headstrong person, and Marik seemed to know what he was doing."

"Does it matter?" Jou exclaimed, "It's too late! Damn it!"

He slammed his fists on the table, knocking Anzu's purse to the floor and spilling the contents.

"Jou!" Anzu exclaimed, kneeling down to grab her things.

"My bad, Anzu," Jou said.

"I get that you're angry, but trashing my stuff isn't going to–Wait." Anzu picked everything off the floor and put it on the table. The she took her purse and dumped the remainder of its contents on the table. She started fishing through the mess.

"No. No way. It can't be gone," Anzu whispered, throwing stuff around the table.

"What are you doing? What's wrong?" Yami asked. Anzu looked up at him.

"The note's gone!" Anzu cried.

"WHAT?" Jou exclaimed, "How?"

"I don't know!" Anzu replied, "Help me find it!"

The five of them looked through everything Anzu dumped on the table while Bakura stood and watched. They threw everything that wasn't the letter carrying Yugi's secret back into the purse.

"Well, this explains how Marik found out about the troubles you and Yugi were having, Yami," Ryou concluded, tossing a container of lipstick back into the purse, leaving the table clear again.

"I don't understand!" Anzu exclaimed, "That note never left my purse! How could Marik have gotten his hands on it without us knowing it?"

Suddenly it dawned on all of them. Five pairs of eyes slowly locked onto the silver haired darkness standing close to them.

"What?" Bakura shrugged, "Fifty bucks is fifty bucks. Are you telling me you wouldn't have done it?"

"YOU SON OF A BITCH!" Jou screamed. He leapt from the table and grabbed Bakura by the neck of the shirt, pinning him to the wall. "How could you do it, huh? Its because of _you_ that Yugi almost died last night! What did he ever do to you? ANSWER ME!"

"Hey, don't look at me," Bakura smirked, "Who failed utterly as a Yami? Who left Yugi with less-than capable protection? Who ultimately put Yugi in this predicament?"

"Don't even try to put the blame on Yami! I oughta _murder_ you for what you did!"

"Jou! No!" Ryou said, rising from his chair.

"Are you serious?" Jou asked, "You're really trying to defend him after all you've heard?"

"Of course not," Ryou replied, whipping out his cell phone and typing a message "But there are more effective ways of dealing with my Yami than this."

"What are you doing?" Bakura asked, quirking his head.

"Telling Amy to stay away from you because you have Chlamydia!" Ryou declared, fingers flying over the keys.

"WHAT?" Bakura roared, trying to free himself "But that's not true!"

"Oh well," Ryou shrugged, "That's what you get for putting my friends through Hell!" Ryou pushed one more button and then his phone beeped, "Done! Have fun dealing with that!"

"YOU LITTLE BASTARD!" Bakura screamed, breaking free of Jou and lunging at his light. Yami pulled Ryou back to safety just as Anzu swung her purse directly into Bakura's face. Honda and Jou grabbed the stunned darkness and dragged him to the door, opening it.

"Get out!" Honda screamed, helping Jou toss Bakura to the sidewalk.

"And stay out!" Jou called, slamming the door. They both returned to the dining room.

"We make a pretty good team, don't we?" Jou grinned, looking at everyone.

"Yeah, we really do."

"Listen, Yami," Jou said, looking at the tri coloured darkness, "As long as you need a place to stay, you can crash here. You too, Ryou." He turned to Ryou "It's probably not safe going back to your place with Bakura in the mood he's in. You, me and Honda can go by later and grab your stuff."

"Thanks Jou." Ryou said,"I really appreciate it."

"No problem," Jou smiled, "With all of us working together, Atem _has_ to see that we're all there for Yugi!"

Yami smiled at his friend's enthusiasm. He only hoped winning Yugi's trust back would be as easy as Jou was making it out to be.


	19. The Pain Will Say 'I Told You So'

HELLO READERS!

SURPRISE! It's the first chapter of June! Yay! Anime North was awesome! 10 minutes into the day I cosplayed Roxas, somebody asked for my picture! I was thrilled! I wish that weekend lasted forever!

So, my bad on the gap in between updates. But, to show how much I love you, here's a 5,000+ chapter! Woo!

So, let's address some reviews!

DemetriaNecrophades – Yami Marik may be only 6, but he's an asshole. Go re-read Chapter 12 and tell me otherwise. ;)

Sadly, I haven't been introduced to the real storyline. Only the anime. I should fix that.

Amaris the Dark Mage – Ah, the torture that is insomnia. I recommend tequila. ;)

Alexus Loves Writing – Favorite author? Why thank you! Fifty bucks _is_ fifty bucks, and he didn't know what the note said, so I don't know what I'd do in his position.

This chapter is brought to you by: "Everything You Do" – He Is We, "Monster" – Paramore, "Careful" – Paramore ,"Flux and Flow" – Lights, "Told You So" – Cassadee Pope and The Gayatri Mantra.

Chapter 19: The Pain Will Say 'I Told You So'

* * *

><p>"Okay," Dark Magician said "School records?"<p>

"Check," Dark Magician answered, waving her staff in the air. A pink jet of light hit the computer in Yugi's bedroom, making it glow for a moment before returning to normal.

"Identification?"

"Check," Dark Magician Girl waved her staff again. This time plastic ID cards appeared out of thin air and dropped on the table.

"Class schedules that ensure at least one of us is with Yugi?"

"Check," Another wave of the staff and three class schedules fell next to the ID's.

"What else are we missing?" Atem asked, who was sitting on the bed, fingers drumming on each other. The rest of the week had gone well with no disturbance. There was definitely progress made as far as Yugi's claustrophobia went. He no longer felt threatened by them when they came close to him. He had reached a level of feeling safe and at peace with the three of them that he had started to make physical contact with them. Whether it was a hug or holding a hand, it was a step in the right direction.

"Hey, guys!" Yugi came into the room, "I just finished making lunches for all of us!"

"That was very kind of you, Little One," Atem said with a smile, stretching out his arms. Yugi made his way across the room and into the spirit's arms. Atem pulled Yugi into his lap and wrapped his arms around him in a tight embrace that he was happy to return. Atem noted that while he may have been improving on the claustrophobia side of things, being this thin still wasn't healthy.

"That's what we forgot!" Dark Magician exclaimed, "Backpacks! Lunchboxes! All that stuff!"

"Done and done!" Dark Magician Girl declared. She waved her staff a few times. Pink, purple and red lights appeared from the staff and flew around the room. Yugi watched in awe as the light transformed into the items Dark Magician called out. Sparks burst from the school equipment the lights had created.

"Wow." Yugi exclaimed. He held out his hand to catch a spark. A red one floated into his hand. Instead of being hot like Yugi had assumed, it didn't feel any warmer than he did. It twinkled in his palm before fading away.

"This isn't ever going to get old to you, is it?" Dark Magician asked with a smile.

"What? The three of you using magic? Never. It's incredible. I wish I could use magic like you."

"Well, if we're going by technicalities, you already do," Dark Magician Girl said, "We're all connected thanks to the mind link now, so there's that. Then there's your puzzle. Granted, you don't use it like Yami or Atem do, but you've used it to call on your darker half before. So I'd say you know your fair share of magic."

"Those don't count! I didn't set up the mind link! And I can't do the kind of stuff the three of you can!"

"Yugi," Dark Magician said, "It took us years to master our craft. It may look easy, but it takes a lot of effort."

"It takes _some people_ a lot of effort," Dark Magician Girl grinned. Her teacher shot her a disapproving look, which she responded to with a wink.

"Regardless, we have our own unique abilities for a purpose," Atem said, looking down at the hikari "They are extremely gifted in the magic arts to help people, just like they helped you in your time of need. I am a natural born leader. Whether it be a country or just a friend, I can see the problem from every angle and formulate a solution that works in everyone's favor."

"And what about me?" Yugi asked, "What do I have that nobody else does that makes me special?"

"The greatest gift you have is right here," Atem said, placing a hand over Yugi's heart "You care so much about your loved ones. More than I've ever seen anyone in my time. You constantly put your safety, body; mind and spirit, at risk for others well being. You're compassion is your greatest asset. Never forget that."

You think so?" Yugi placed his hand over Atem's.

"Absoltuely."

Yugi sighed and closed his eyes, resting his head on the spirit's chest. It was times like these, where Yugi seemed at peace that Atem didn't want to bring him out of it. But, he knew he had one more question he needed to ask.

"Are you sure you're ready? Please don't push yourself to go back to school so quickly. That place will always be there, and I wouldn't mind you taking some more time to rest."

"Atem," Yugi opened his eyes and looked back up, shaking his head "I can't miss anymore than I already have. Don't worry, I'll be okay. And besides, I have the three of you here with me."

"Which brings us to the next phase of the plan," He picked up Yugi and laid him on the bed, allowing himself to get up. He approached the monsters, "Mahad. Mana. Are you ready to take on mortal form once again?"

"I'm ready," Dark Magician Girl nodded.

"Of course," Dark Magician said.

"Excellent. Now, if you would please shut your eyes, I can begin," Atem instructed.

The two monsters nodded and shut their eyes. Atem held his hands out in front of him, the Millennium Eye glowing on his forehead. The puzzle hanging from his neck began to glow gold. Waves of energy swirled around the two monsters, lifting them from the floor. Atem began to chant:

"_Om bhur bhuvah svah,_

_Tat savitur varenyam,_

_Bhargo devasya dhimahi,_

_Dhiyo yonah prahcodaya._"

Yugi watched as the waves of energy entered the monsters, setting them back down on the ground. Atem's puzzle stopped glowing and he lowered his hands.

"There," He said, smiling "It's done. You two can now stay outside the deck for as long as you need to. How do you feel?"

"Well," Dark Magician Girl brought her hands up to eye level and twisted them. She brought her hands back down, "I feel the same."

"Me too," Dark Magician said, "Did it really work? Should we not be able to feel something different?"

"Did you expect to grow a tail?" Atem chuckled, "No, I think you may have just become accustomed to how you feel outside the deck because you've been outside it for quite sometime."

"And I'm assuming that our magic is intact as well?"

"Naturally. Though we will need to be a little more cautious when it comes to using magic now that we'll be in the public eye. Well, Yugi," Atem turned to the hikari on the bed, "Are you ready?"

"I'm ready," Yugi nodded with a smile.

"Okay! Let's get going!" Atem said, walking to the door, the two monsters behind him.

"_WAIT_!"

Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl instantly swung around.

"Yugi? What's wrong?" Atem asked.

"First of all, I'm still in my pajamas," Yugi said, looking down at the white pajamas, then back up at them, "Secondly, there is no way you can come with me looking like that!" He pointed to the armor and tunics they were wearing, "That'll draw a lot of unwanted attention! And that's not what we want, right?"

Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl looked at each other and laughed.

"You make a good point, Yugi," Atem said with a smile, "But that's a problem easily corrected"

Atem took a few steps away from Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl and snapped his fingers. A full-length mirror appeared with a flash of gold.

"Now, let's see," Yami waved his hand in front of him. His Egyptian garments began to glow gold and twist around him. When the glow had died down, they had transformed into black jeans, a crimson shirt and a blue denim jacket.

"Well, how do I look?" Atem asked.

"Like Yami." Yugi said truthfully.

"Oh." Atem said, lowering his head.

"But you haven't copied his look completely!" Yugi said, making the spirit look up "He would always wear a black tank top, but you're not! I think its because you two look so alike that I made that comparison. And besides, everybody wears jeans so it doesn't matter, okay."

"Well that's a relief," The Spirit smiled.

"My turn!" Dark Magician exclaimed, playfully shoving Atem out of the way of the mirror, "Okay!" She waved her staff in a circle above her head and then brought it to the floor. A pink ring sparkled where she had made the circle above her head and made its way down her body. Her hat disappeared, and her hair that was in her hat fell into its proper place. Silver star earrings twinkled in place. Her armor was replaced with a white tank top and black skinny jeans. Her boots turned into black sneakers. The pink ring disappeared as it hit the floor.

""Well?" She asked, looking at Yugi, who couldn't stop staring. He always had a secret crush on the Monster and didn't really know what to say.

"You look really ho-good!" Yugi stammered, his face turning a light shade of red.

Dark Magician let out a chuckle that his student caught. She turned around to face him.

"Oh really?" She asked, pointing her staff at him "Let's see how much you're laughing after _this_!"

A jet of pink light came from the staff and exploded as it hit Dark Magician. His purple hair, usually tucked in his helmet had become a curly Afro. He had star sunglasses on his face and chains hanging from his neck. His purple armor had turned into a white t-shirt with a brown vest. He had bright yellow disco pants and clown shoes on his feet.

"Hey! What did you do to my eyes?" He asked, taking off the sunglasses and stepping towards the mirror. His reflection made him gasp with horror. His skin lost all its colour and he brought his hands to his face, dropping his staff.

"Well?" Dark Magician Girl asked, twirling her staff in her hand, "What do you think?"

"_I'M HIDEOUS!_" He screamed in horror. The reaction caused Yugi and Atem to double over in laughter. Dark Magician Girl, in hysterics as well, kept herself from falling to the floor by holding onto the desk. Dark Magician looked at everyone and huffed, picking up his staff. He banged it on the ground and in a purple flash, the clothes Dark Magician Girl had created were gone. His purple hair was slicked back in a ponytail. He kept his boots and was dressed in black khaki's and a purple dress shirt.

"Well, doesn't somebody look official?" Dark Magician Girl teased.

"_Somebody_ has to," Dark Magician fired back, earning a stunned look from his student.

"Okay," Yugi said, "Just give me a second to get ready and–"

"Don't worry!" Dark Magician Girl said, swinging her staff in a circle "I got this one!"

"Mana," Dark Magician said, "Yugi's suffered enough. Don't worsen it with your terrible sense of fashion."

"_Excuse me_? Look at me!" Dark Magician Girl said with a smile, "I left Yugi speechless! And besides, you were a _special_ case. Ready Yugi?"

"You know," Yugi said nervously, "Maybe it would just be better if I–"

"Incoming!" Dark Magician screamed. She swung her staff in front of her, sending a pink orb about Yugi's size quickly in his direction. He braced himself for impact, covering his head with his arms and shutting his eyes. When it hit him, it made Yugi let out an involuntary sigh. It felt like he was being wrapped in a warm blanket. He felt so comfortable wrapped in her spell. He moved his arms and opened his eyes as the warmth slowly started to leave him. He looked down at what he was wearing. His white pajamas had been replaced with sneakers, blue jeans and a white t-shirt with a design on it that looked like angel wings. Over top of that was a sky blue hoodie. Yugi blinked as the remnants of the pink spell faded into the air. He twisted around, looking at his new clothes from all angles.

"Nice touch with the angel wings," Atem said, looking at the hikari's shirt.

"Thanks, Atem," Dark Magician Girl smiled, "That was a personal touch. I thought the colours suited a hikari better than all black."

"And why couldn't you do anything like that for me?" Dark Magician asked bluntly.

"I already told you. You were a special case," Dark Magician Girl winked. She turned to Yugi, "So, what do you think Yugi? Do you like it?"

"I love it," Yugi smiled. He went up to her and gave her a hug, "Thank you so much."

"Oh, it was nothing," She said as she returned the hug.

"There's just one thing missing," Atem said. He went over to Yugi's nightstand and picked up the Millennium Puzzle. He went back over to Yugi and placed it over his head, leaving it hanging from his neck.

"Would you please wear this again?" Atem asked, "I'm wearing mine," He pointed down to his own, "And make the connection I've made between the two of us that much stronger. It would make me feel much better too."

"Okay," Yugi looked down at the golden pyramid hanging from his neck and then back up to the spirit. He sighed, "If it'll make you feel better, the I'll do it."

"You have my thanks, Little One," Atem smiled and ruffled Yugi's hair.

"Hey now! You can't go around school with me calling me 'Little One'!"

"Alright then, Yugi. Point taken," Atem chuckled, "Are you ready?"

"Let's go!" Yugi replied with a smile.

* * *

><p>"Yami, are you sure you're want to be here?" Jou asked, coming up to their lockers alongside Anzu, Honda, Yami and Ryou. "We could have always skipped and done our own thing."<p>

"Believe me, Jou, this is exactly what I need," Yami replied, "My whole world's been twisted upside down. My hikari is too unwell to be around me. The monsters in my deck have turned against me. And the 3000-year-old version of me is back and seems to be taking my place. I just want something in my every day routine to stay the same."

"Fair," Anzu said, grabbing a book out of her locker, "Maybe after, we can do something to cheer you up."

"Yeah, Yami!" Honda exclaimed, "We'll go back to Change of Heart and find you someone to get your mind off Yug-"

"Honda," Anzu threatened, cracking her knuckles, "If you finish that sentence, I'll throw you in my locker."

"It's okay, Anzu," Yami told her, "He's trying his best."

"What do you think the chances are that we'll see Yugi today?" Ryou asked.

"No idea," Yami said, "I have no idea how he's doing since I saw him last. And that was last week."

"Well, I'd say he's doing pretty well," Anzu said.

"What makes you say that?" Jou asked.

"Because he's coming in on the other side of the hall now." Anzu pointed.

They all turned to see Yugi coming into view. He looked like he was doing better than the last time Yami had seen him. Three other people were with him, and they were walking in their direction.

"Is it just me or am I seeing doubles?" Jou asked, putting a hand over his eyes.

"Nope," Yami said angrily, "That's Atem."

"Then, if that's Atem," Anzu asked, "Then who are they?"

"That's..." Yami squinted his eyes to try and hone his vision. His eyes widened in shock as he identified them, "_No!_"

"Who are they?" Ryou asked.

"That's Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl!" Yami turned to face them, "They're here! Outside of the deck!"

"_That's_ Dark Magician Girl?" Honda asked, standing on his toes to get a better look, "I'd hit that any day!"

"Alright, that's it," Anzu grabbed Honda by the back of the head and smashed his face off a locker. She proceeded to open her locker door as wide as it would go and toss him in. She shut the door and threw on her lock so couldn't get out. The others just looked at her in disbelief.

"What?" She said with a smile, "Quit your staring. Here they come."

/_Is she always that violent?_/ Dark Magician Girl asked as they walked past the group.

/_She likes to think of it as helping Honda watch what he says,_/ Yugi explained.

/_I could have that taken care of with a snap of my finger!_/

/_Let's not get any crazy ideas now, Mana,_/ Atem said, /_Remember, we're trying to keep a low profile._/

/_I know, but look at that! She's going to kill him!_/ She protested.

/_She's come close a few times,_/ Yugi added.

/_Anyway,_/ Atem said, trying to take the conversation in a new direction, /_What's our first class?_/

"Yami, what are you waiting for?" Anzu nudged, "This is your chance to tell Yugi about the note!"

"Right! Good idea!" Yami said, taking a few steps away from his friends so he was almost directly behind the group of four.

"Uhhhh, Yugi?" Yami called, not knowing what would to expect.

Yugi turned around to face his darker half. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl saw this and placed their hands in front of Yugi. It wasn't until now that Yami looked down and noticed Yugi was wearing his puzzle.

"You're wearing you're puzzle again?" Yami asked.

"Don't get your hopes up, Yami," Atem turned around to face him, "Yugi wouldn't be wearing that if I didn't ask him to."

"You asked him to-?"

"Now's not the best time, Yami. We need to get to class."

"Atem, you can't keep me away from Yugi forever!"

"That's not my intention. But he's still not ready."

"And how long do plan on 'readying' him to speak with me?"

"Its his first day out of the house in days. For his sake, stay away. Let's not repeat what happened last time."

"I've got no problem going another round with you if –"

"Yami?" Yugi spoke up. Two pairs of crimson eyes unlocked from each other to look down at the hikari.

"It's my first day back to school. And I've already missed so much. We'll talk later."

"There, you heard it from him," Atem said, swinging an arm around Yugi's shoulder and pulling him closer "Its not a good time."

Yami let out a quiet growl as Yugi was led away by Atem, the monsters following behind them.

"I take it that didn't go over so well?" Ryou asked.

"What gave you that idea?" Yami scowled.

"Hey! I just asked because I saw Yugi turn to you!" Ryou said.

"I know," Yami sighed, "I'm sorry Ryou. This is just taking its toll on me."

"Well, cheer up because we have to go to class," Anzu said, leading everyone off to their first class of the day.

"Guys!" Honda banged from inside the locker, "What about me?"

* * *

><p>Classes that day for Yugi went smoothly. Dark Magician Girl went with him to Craft of Writing and Storytelling. They had started to take up the assignment from before in pairs, so they stayed together. Yugi was surprised to see her pull some paper out of her backpack.<p>

"The assignment looked like fun, so I did one too. And here," She handed him a page with the part he had started typing a few weeks ago, "I didn't want you to come to class empty handed, so I brought it back from the depths of deleted cyberspace!"

"Thanks, Mana," Yugi smiled, "Let's take a look at yours."

He glanced at her paper and then back up at her.

"The Genie from _Aladdin_?" Yugi asked with a laugh.

"Hey now! I thought it was good comparison!" Dark Magician Girl said, "We're both charismatic. We're both enigmatic. We can both turn monkeys into elephants. And." She placed a finger on his nose, "We make all your wishes and dreams come true."

Yugi's faced flushed red as he moved back from her finger. The reaction made her laugh, but she stopped when Mrs. Zamumba looked over.

He had chemistry next with Dark Magician, and he was absolutely thrilled about it. He was just what Yugi needed to help him in that class. They had cross-referenced their notes and Dark Magician had made corrections that were needed on Yugi's. Then they moved to the lab part of the class.

"You're really like my savior in here," Yugi said, earning a confused look from the Monster "I'd be doomed in this class without you. How can you know this so well?"

"I'm from a time where science and magic are the same, remember?" Dark Magician smiled, setting up the tubes of various metals, "Chemistry and Alchemy go hand in hand. And for the first few years of studying magic, Alchemy was what I was most interested in. Passion will drive you to do better."

"It's not that I don't like the class. It's just hard wrapping my head around it all."

"Everyone is capable of learning. It just takes a little-"

An explosion from the other side of the classroom cut him off. Ushio was coughing and his face black with smoke. His lab equipment was destroyed from the blast.

"Although," Dark Magician said, shaking his head, "Sometimes its best if one realizes when to stop trying and focus on something else."

Lunch came and went with no incidents. Marik had walked into the cafeteria, but glares from Atem and Dark Magician Girl had him spinning on his heels in the other direction. Afterwards, Atem and Yugi went to Calculus.

"The one thing I love about your education system is the time of classes," Atem said, scribbling an equation down.

"Really?" Yugi asked, punching some numbers into a calculator, "Was it that bad learning in Egypt?"

"Our scholars and mentors in the temples believed in challenging our minds into the long, cold hours of the night," Atem explained, "It was quite a draining time of life. I praised Ra when it was over."

"I don't think I could ever handle something like that."

"I'm not too sure about that. You've always had a passion for learning. I was different. I just wanted to get out of our temples as quickly as possible. I think you would face a challenge like that head on."

"Thanks, Atem," Yugi smiled.

"It's the truth," Atem smiled back.

* * *

><p>Yugi didn't have another class for his final period, so he met everyone at his locker to go home.<p>

"So, how were everyone's other classes?" Yugi ased, stuffing books into his backpack and shutting his locker door.

"Not as eventful as Chemistry," Dark Magician grinned.

"At least you didn't get glares!" Dark Magician Girl said, swinging her backpack over her shoulder and opening the door for everyone to step outside.

"What do you mean?" Atem asked as he stepped into the sunlight.

"I was in Art for my second class," Dark Magician Girl explained, "And Yami and Anzu were in there! He kept firing me dirty looks and she just kept staring! It sent chills up my spine!"

"I wouldn't worry about them that much," Dark Magician told her as they made their way to the gates, "If it came down to it, they wouldn't stand a chance against you."

"Thanks, Mahad," She winked.

"Yugi! Wait!" Came a baritone voice from behind them.

They turned around to see Yami, Jou, Anzu, Honda and Ryou walking up to them.

/_You may get your chance to get at those two sooner than we thought,_/ Dark Magician said.

/_Haha. Very funny._/ She replied, never taking her eyes off the five newcomers.

"Listen," Yami said, "I really need to talk you."

"Yami, please," Yugi pleaded, "Not now."

"Look, it's important. So can we just –"

"Yami, did you not hear him?" Atem asked, "You aren't listening to me. You aren't listening to Yugi. What's it going to take to get through to you?"

"Stay out of this, Atem," Yami growled, "You don't get it."

"No, _you_ don't get it!" Dark Magician Girl said, "Yugi _just_ said he's still not ready to talk to you about what happened! Give him some space!"

"Hey!" Anzu said, glaring at the monster "Don't talk to him like that!"

"Are you deaf too?" Dark Magician Girl said, taking a step towards Anzu "Or are you just trying to make things worse for Yugi?"

"Maybe I'm looking at things from Yami's perspective, unlike _you_." Anzu took a step closer.

"Oooh. Finally giving me more than just glares now? Suddenly grow a spine with everyone around?" Dark Magician Girl sneered, "What are you going to do? Huh?"

SMACK!

Everyone felt their jaws as Anzu's hand slapped Dark Magician Girl's face. The Monster brought a hand up to her reddened cheek while all the guys took a step back. Anzu brought her hand back down to her side.

/_Now Mana_,/ Atem said, /_Don't do anything _-/ But before he could finish, she closed off the mind link from her side.

"You know, bigger and stronger people have crossed me and I've left them in ashes. And that," Dark Magician Girl said, curling her fist "Was all the incentive I needed."

WHAM!

Her fist collided with Anzu's jaw knocking her to the ground. She got on top of her and started hammering away at her face. The guys on both ends moved in to break it up, but stopped when Anzu managed to roll on top of Dark Magician Girl. She didn't stay on top for long as the monster regained control, turning her around by the throat and sitting on her back.

"You crazy bitch!" Anzu spat.

"You haven't seen crazy yet!" Dark Magician Girl shot back. With a huge tearing sound, she pulled a handful of hair out of Anzu's scalp by the roots. Anzu let out a wail.

"What now?" Dark Magician Girl taunted, letting strands of brown hair fall in front of Anzu's face, "What now, bitch? You've got nothing on me!"

"Mana! Enough!" Dark Magician pulled his student off of Anzu. Jou and Honda pulled the defeated Anzu back to her feet slowly.

"Stop!" Yugi cried.

"She started it!" The Monster protested.

"I know!" Dark Magician responded, "But you won, so–"

WHAM!

Honda's fist came out of nowhere sending Dark Magician flying to the ground. His student knelt quickly by his side to inspect the damage.

"Honda!" Yugi shouted.

"What the hell was that for?" Dark Magician Girl screamed.

"You guys think you're gonna walk away scratch free after that?" Honda told her, "Believe me, the only thing saving you from me kicking your ass is that you're a girl and–"

WHAM!

The force of Atem's punch sent Honda flying into Jou, knocking them both to the ground.

"How dare you threaten her like that!" Atem roared.

Yugi looked around at everything. Jou and Honda were on the ground. Anzu had her hands in her hair. Dark Magician Girl was at her teacher's side on the ground. Ryou was just as stunned as Yugi, looking at all the carnage. Then, his eyes fell to Yami, whose hand was curled in a fist, and was in Atem's blind spot.

"You'll regret that!" Yami said, lunging for Atem with his fist raised.

"_NO_!" Yugi screamed, jumping in between the two.

WHAM!

For everyone there, it felt like time had stopped and wasn't going to start anytime soon. They all watched as Yami's fist connected with Yugi's cheek, sending his body spinning to the pavement with a crash. He skidded a few feet as he landed.

"Yugi!" Yami screamed. He moved to inspect his hikari, but Atem blocked his path.

"Now look what you've done!" Atem scolded, "You just couldn't wait until he was ready to talk to you! And now look what happened! This entire incident is _your_ fault!"

"I didn't mean to do that!"

"You never mean to do anything! You can never take fault for your actions! And right now, I don't have time for this!"

Atem turned away from Yami and his friends. He knelt down to where Yugi had fallen. The hikari landed on his stomach and was shaking.

/_Yugi, it's me, Atem_./ The spirit explained, /_I'm going to help you sit up. I need to see how badly you were hit. Is that okay?_/

/_Y-Yeah._/ Yugi whimpered through the mind link, /_I just need a second to pull myself together._/

/_None of us are going to judge you,_/ Atem assured him, /_Take your time._/

/_Thanks..._/ Yugi said, /_And thanks for letting me know you were coming closer._ _I don't know what I'd do if-_/

/_You just got punched in the face_. _I wouldn't want anyone near me for a while either. I just didn't want you getting scared of me coming too close_./

"Well, what are you waiting for?" Yami said from behind them, "Help him up! Or are you just going to stay there and leave him?"

/_Ignore him,_/ Atem told Yugi, /_He wont come near you. Are you ready?_/

/_Yeah_./ Yugi said.

Atem held out his arms for the hikari to crawl into. As his face became visible to everyone, the sight broke Yami's heart. Yugi's cheek was already swollen and his nose had started to bleed from the impact on the pavement. Some blood was dripping from his nose and staining the angel design on his shirt. Scrapes littered the skin on his face and palms. But the worst were his eyes. His amethyst eyes were turning red as they fought back tears, and they were locked with Yami's.

"Yugi," Yami said quickly, "I didn't mean to-Why would you-I'm so sorry."

Yugi just shook his head and buried his face in Atem's chest.

/_I have to get away from here,_/ Yugi said, /_I'm going to start crying if I stay any longer._/

/_I understand,_/ Atem helped Yugi to his feet. Slinging one of Yugi's arms over his shoulder, they walked over to the two monsters. Just as they helped Dark Magician up, the bell rang, signaling the end of the school day.

/_Please, I don't want anyone to see me like this,_/ Yugi cried through the mind link.

/_It's okay. We're going now,_/ Atem said soothingly as the four began to walk off the school grounds.

"Atem! This isn't over!" Yami called.

"Of course its not! It never is with you!" Atem shot back. Yami watched as they turned at the gates and lost sight of them as a sea of people came flooding from behind him. If he thought getting close to Yugi again was difficult before, he had just made things ten times worse.


	20. The Gift of a Friend

HELLO READERS!

Alright! I know! June is sucking for updates! But I've got three reasons why!

1 – I started an internship at a TV station, which has been eating up a ton of my time.

Thankfully, it will be over in about a week, so I can go back to updating like normal.

2 – I ended up in the hospital. Busy month right? I always end up rooming with an old lady who had dimentia though. All is well and I'm out though.

3 –I picked up Skyrim. I KNOW! IT'S THE BIGGEST TIME CONSUMER EVER! But I'm trying my best to get my eyes unglued from the TV….Whatup, High Elves? :)

Anyway, review time!

Scribbler-Chan - ITS NOT OVER! NOT YET!

Rainbow-Claw - I think if you tried, DemetriaNecrophades would murder you. ;)

Everyone who like the Anzu vs Dark Magician Girl fight - I've wanted to write a fight between the two of them forever! I liked the end product so much, I might write another one! Glad you liked it! :D

This chapter is brought to you by: "Beautiful" – Bethany Dillon, "Everything You Want" – Vertical Horizon and "The Gift of a Friend" – Demi Lovato (Can we just take a minute and soak up the fact that I found a song by Demi Lovato I liked? I clicked on it by mistake, and I thought it worked well with the story. So here we are!)

Chapter 20: The Gift of a Friend

* * *

><p>"Well, that took longer than I thought," Dark Magician said, shutting the door to the house behind him.<p>

"Of all the days for there to be traffic," Atem muttered, "Did you manage to shake off that punch?"

"It'll take more than a punch to the face to keep me down."

/_Hello? Idiots?_/ Dark Magician Girl spoke through the mind link. She discreetly gestured to Yugi, who was rummaging in the freezer for something.

/_Ooops,_/ Dark Magician said sheepishly, making sure Yugi couldn't hear that. Dark Magician Girl rolled her eyes.

/_You can have all the magical know-how over me you want, Mahad. But common sense trumps it any day,_/ She said flatly. She swatted his shoulder and made her way over to the hikari.

"Yugi, how are you feeling?" Dark Magician Girl asked.

"Okay, I guess," Was the reply she got from the head still in the freezer.

"Did you need some help looking for something?"

"Nope. I found it," He retreated from the freezer and shut the door. In his hand was an icepack and he had it pressed to his swollen cheek from when Yami punched him.

"Yugi, what are you doing?" Dark Magician Girl asked with a smile.

"I'm trying to bring the swelling down," Yugi replied, "Why?"

"Because," She said, taking his hand away from his face, "It's be much quicker of I did it."

She placed her hand where his was. It began to glow pink and sparkle with silver. She ran her thumb over his swollen cheek, making him sigh and lean into the touch. Slowly, the swelling went away and the scrapes from falling on the pavement sealed themselves.

"There," She smiled, pulling her hand away "Feel better?"

"Yeah. Thanks Mana," Yugi smiled. He looked up at Atem, "I need to go upstairs for a bit."

"Are you okay?" Dark Magician asked.

"Yeah, I just need to think for a while," He made his way up the stairs and out of sight.

"Well, if its all the same, I need to go back to the deck for a while." Dark Magician Girl said.

"Is the spell wearing off?" Atem asked.

"No, nothing like that. It's something else. That okay with you?"

"Go ahead. Mahad and I will be fine."

"Thanks guys!" She winked. With a wave of her staff, she transformed into a glowing pink sphere. It made its way to Yugi's bedroom and entered the deck.

"Well, what are we going to do with those two gone?" Dark Magician asked.

"I guess we could go watch TV." Atem suggested, "That's what mortals do these days."

"Wonderful. Fill our minds with useless goop until we can't function properly."

"It could be fun. Besides, we deserve some relaxation too."

"Fine. But don't blame me if your brain stops working by the end of the day."

"That's what I have you for," Atem joked, heading into the living room.

"Oh shut up," Dark Magician said with a grin, following the spirit.

* * *

><p>"Man, Atem can pack a punch." Honda said, with an icepack over his cheek.<p>

"Well, when you think about it, it's kind of like getting punched by Yami." Jou said.

"Well, Yami, you can pack a punch." Honda joked.

Yami nodded silently with a small smile. They had all gone back to Jou's after school and were recovering from the confrontation with the others. Ryou had gotten a call from Malik and headed off to Change of Heart. Yami was leaning on the wall while Jou was sitting in an recliner leaving Honda and Anzu on the couch opposite from him.

"Yami, what's wrong?" Anzu asked. Out of all of them, she was doing the worst. She was sitting on the couch and had an icepack that she was moving all over her face. She was looking at a small mirror, inspecting the damage to her hair.

"I was just thinking about what Atem said. Today-No. Not just today. Was this entire thing my fault? If I had been thinking more about Yugi, then would any of this have happened?"

"Don't worry about what Atem said," Honda insisted, "Today was definitely not your fault."

"You're right, Honda," Anzu turned to him.

"See?" Honda grinned, "Even Anzu agrees with –"

"It was _yours_!" Anzu said angrily. She hurled the icepack in her hand at Honda's face, landing a direct hit.

"OW!" Honda cried, rubbing his face "What was that for?"

"If you hadn't punched Dark Magician in the face, none of this would have happened!" Anzu glared, "If you had let me deal with Dark Magician Girl, we all would have been fine."

"Because you were doing a great job of handling that."

"_What did you say to me?_" Anzu growled, curling her fists.

"Oh shit!" Honda got up off the couch just in time as Anzu lunged for him. He ran as fast as he could out of the living room.

"GET BACK HERE!" Anzu roared, grabbing the icepack and chasing him.

Yami looked over at Jou, who had been unusually quiet on the way home. Usually he would have cracked joke after joke about something like this. He kept his eyes fixed to the floor.

"Everything okay, Jou?" Yami asked, "You seem a little off."

"Oh," Jou said, snapping out of his daze and looking up, "I'm okay."

"You sure? You didn't hurt yourself when Honda fell into you, did you?"

"Nothing like that, Yami," The blond replied, getting up and stretching his arms, "I think I'm going to go for a walk."

"Okay. Mind if I tag along?"

"Actually, I was hoping for some alone time. You know, to collect my thoughts."

"Thoughts? You? I never would have guessed," Yami said with a smirk.

"Oh, come on!" Jou said, returning the grin, "So, are you cool staying here for a bit?"

"Yeah," Yami said, "Somebody needs to keep Anzu from killing Honda."

At that moment, they heard a loud smash and howl of pain from the next room.

"Well, duty calls," Yami said, heading into the next room.

"Good luck!" Jou called as he stepped outside and shut the door behind him.

* * *

><p>"Well, it's official," Dark Magician stated, "I think my brain has stopped working."<p>

"Fine." Atem said, pointing the remote at the TV and shutting it off. He placed it on the table, "It wasn't that bad, was it?"

"Atem, we sat here for an hour watching Maury! Is this seriously what people find entertaining nowadays?"

"Clearly that audience," Atem chuckled, "Has it been an hour already? What could those two be doing?"

"I don't know, but I can't sit here any longer," Dark Magician replied, getting up "I'm going to go see what Mana's doing. Are you okay to watch Yugi?"

"I'll be fine," Atem said, rising from the couch as well "I'll go check up on him now."

"Sounds like a plan," Dark Magician nodded. He waved his staff and transformed into a purple sphere. Atem watched as the sphere shot through the ceiling where he was sure it landed in the deck.

* * *

><p>Atem walked up the stairs to the second floor of the house. He popped his head into Yugi's room to find that the hikari wasn't there. He stepped out into the hallway to see that the bathroom door was shut.<p>

"Yugi?" Atem called, knocking on the door "Are you okay?"

No answer.

/_Yugi?_/ Atem called though the mind link.

/_It hurts,_/ Yugi whimpered back.

Atem's eyes widened at the hikari's response. He waved his hand in front of the locked door and unlocked it. He burst in to see Yugi breathing heavily in front of the mirror. His shirt was on the floor and he had a hand on his bare stomach. He didn't seem to notice that Atem had stepped inside. Atem breathed a small sigh of relief to see no cuts, blood, knives or anything of that matter. He slowly stepped behind Yugi.

"Little One, what has happened?" Atem asked, placing his hands on Yugi's shoulders.

Yugi looked at Atem's reflection and jumped, finally clueing in that there was somebody behind him. He relaxed a little when Atem began moving his palms across his shoulders.

"I'm sorry for worrying you," Yugi said, leaning into the massage, "I just couldn't breathe and I didn't know what to do."

Atem looked down at Yugi's torso. His small chest was puffing in and out rather quickly. When Yugi inhaled, he could see his ribcage. Atem wrapped one hand across Yugi stomach and the other around his chest, bringing him into a hug.

"You're too thin," Atem said, slowly rocking him back and forth, "It's not healthy."

"I know." Yugi said, starting to tear up, "I just….I just…."

"Can I ask you a question?"

Yugi responded with a nod.

"Why did you jump in between Yami and I? You know I can handle anything Yami tries. Why would you do that to yourself?"

Yugi took a step forward, letting Atem's arms slide off him. He turned to face him and took hold of his hands.

"You have stayed by my side through everything," Yugi said, "You saw me at my weakest and helped me through it all. I couldn't let something happen to you. I owe you that much."

"Yugi…." Atem said.

"This is all my fault," Yugi said, tears running down his face, "You can say it's not all you want, but it is. I was too weak to cope with Yami in his own body. And its because of that that all of this happened. Look at me!" He pointed to his chest "I stopped eating properly! I found refuge in Marik! I started to cu–"

"Cope," Atem said, placing a hand on Yugi's chest, right over his heart "You just didn't understand what was happening. And I stand by what I said. _None_ of this is your fault. Yami should have acknowledged the attention he would receive along with a material body could cause an issue here and there. But he didn't. As far as your eating goes," Crimson eyes glanced down to the small stomach in front of him, "We can fix that. You have nothing to worry about, alright?"

Atem pulled the hikari into another hug. Yugi nuzzled Atem's chest while the spirit ran an hand up and down the boy's back.

"Do you think Yami hates me?" Yugi asked, "They probably all do now."

"Not in the least," Atem repled, resting his chin on top of Yugi's tri-coloured hair "If he did, he wouldn't be trying so hard to see you. I just wish he would understand that you need time and space in order to heal. I also wish he would acknowledge his own mistakes instead of placing the blame on others. You'll speak with him when you're ready, and you'll know when you're ready. But I can tell just by looking at you that you're not. So be patient and don't worry, okay?"

Yugi looked up and smiled at the spirit. His amethyst eyes starting to shimmer.

"Thanks, Atem,"

"Anytime, Little One," Atem smiled back. He went and picked up Yugi's shirt and with a wave of his hand, the blood stains vanished "Why don't we go downstairs and make something to eat?"

"I'd like that," Yugi said, pulling the shirt over his head "Did Mana come back yet? I saw her go into the deck when I was upstairs."

"No, not yet. Mahad went back into the deck to find her. I wonder what they're up to."

* * *

><p>Dark Magician appeared with a flash inside the deck, once again dressed in his purple armor. He glanced up at a massive gate that opened before him. The inside of the deck itself was a massive castle. He stepped to the other side as the gate shut. On the other side was a courtyard that housed gardens, statues and a large fountain in the center. He saw a collection of monsters gathered around the fountain. He stepped closer and saw his student, floating in the center of the crowd. He could hear her speak but couldn't make out what she was saying.<p>

"_She must be giving them a report on our progress._" He thought as he continued walking.

"And then BAM!" Dark Magician Girl clapped her hands, "Bitch went _down_!"

"_And she's bragging about how she beat up a mortal,_" Dark Magician rolled his eyes.

"But didn't she slap you first?" Summoned Skull asked.

"Oh, shut up, Bones." Dark Magician Girl said with a smile, "I _let_ her have that one. I couldn't just start beating her without any incentive. That would have went over great seeing as she's one of Yugi's friends and he was standing right there!"

"Ahem," Dark Magician cleared his throat, causing everyone to look at him "Atem's looking for us. We need to go back."

"Awww, but I was getting to the good part!" Dark Magician Girl whined.

"Mana," Dark Magician said, his fingers drumming his staff.

"Oh fine!" She made her way over to her teacher. She looked back at everyone "I'll finish my story next time! Bye everyone!"

With a flash they reappeared in Yugi's bedroom. They waved their staffs and changed back into their regular clothes.

"It's not really an accomplishment hurting a mortal you know," Dark Magician said sternly.

"Says the guy who had his ass handed to him by a mortal," Dark Magician Girl replied with a wink.

"One punch! That was it!"

"And that's all it took."

"And when did you start talking like that?"

"Talking like what?"

"Like 'Bitch went down'?"

"Oops," She smiled, "I must have be spending too much time around Gaia."

"You're telling me that you picked up that language from Gaia, the Fierce Knight?"

"Yep," She winked, "Total potty mouth."

* * *

><p>"Something smells really good," Dark Magician Girl exclaimed, heading into the kitchen with her teacher at her heels.<p>

"Atem and I made dinner," Yugi smiled. He gestured to the table, and the monsters eyes widened at the meal that Yugi and Atem prepared. Sitting on the table was a platter of steaks and a huge bowl of salad.

"This looks amazing!" Dark Magician Girl said, sitting down. The others followed suit. She was just about to stab a steak with her fork when a knock directed all of their attention to the door.

"I'll get it," Dark Magician Girl got up and made her way to the door. She opened it to see Jou standing on the other side.

"Oh," Dark Magician Girl said, taken aback by the blonde.

"I come in peace," Jou said, raising his hands, "Yami didn't send me. I'm here on my own. Can I come in and see Yugi?"

"Umm, I guess," She stepped to side allowing him into the house. She lead him into the kitchen where everyone was sitting.

"Jou, what are you doing here?" Yugi asked.

"I came to see how you were doing, Yug," Jou replied.

"Mana, what is the meaning of this?" Dark Magician asked.

"He said he wasn't here on Yami's behalf and I couldn't sense any sort of lie!"

"It's okay," Atem said, nodding at Jou, "I believe you. You came to see Yugi on your own."

"Yeah," Jou turned to Yugi, "We really haven't had a chance to talk since everything happened. I wanted to say I'm sorry. I know I paid too much attention to Yami, and that made you do some stuff. But I'm here for you, I just wanted you to know that."

"See, Yugi?" Atem turned to Yugi, "I was right. He doesn't hate you."

"Hate you?" Jou asked, taken aback "How am I suppose to hate you when it's me that made the mistake? You should be the one who hates me."

"Jou, I could never hate you," Yugi said, shaking his head "I was so worried that you guys didn't want anything to do with me."

"Man, how could you think like that after all we've been through? You gave my sister the money she needed to get her sight back in Duelist Kingdom. You lost the duel between us on purpose so I could go free in Battle City. You almost drowned in the process too. I could never hate you after all that. Ever."

"And I get that you need some space," Jou, continued, earning a smile and a nod from Atem, "Which is why I'm not here to cause a scene or do anything like that. I just want you to know I'm here for you no matter what."

"Jou?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah, Yug?"

"Did you want to stay for dinner?" Yugi gestured to the food on the table.

"Is that okay?" Jou asked, looking around at the others.

"He's the real thing, so I'm okay with it," Dark Magician Girl nodded.

"I agree," Atem added.

"I trust Yugi's judgment." Dark Magician chimed in.

"Alright!" Jou said, taking a seat beside the hikari "If there's one thing I missed, it's your cooking!"


	21. It's Always a Good Time

HELLO READERS!

Happy Friday! Here's the next chapter in hopes that it makes the start of your weekend awesome!

So, I got back from Warped Tour a few days ago. God I love that show. That concert is the reason I know half of the bands I do. Some of there songs help me write the chapters and give me inspiration for where the story should go next (The Cab, The Summer Set etc.). So I recommend going at least once if you like live music. Just watch out for moshers. They can be vicious.

I wanted to let you guys know about something else I got into. I put down Skyrim long enough to pick up tumblr. And I'm part of something I think some of you might be interested in. I'm taking part in a roleplay called Anime Get Your Gun, where you take your favorite character and you fight in a zombie apocalyptic Tokyo. The name sounds deceiving, but its not just for Anime characters. Up until recently, someone was playing Count Olaf from _A Series of Unfortunate Events_ and there's even someone playing Black Widow from _The Avengers_. I'm playing as Lightning from _Final Fantasy Xiii_ and am having a blast. But we still need a lot more people. So, if you like zombies and killing zombies, register at anime-get-your-gun. Just google that and it will take you to the page. And if you like it and end up registering, let them know that Lightning sent you. Then send me a message (My link is on their masterlist) and we can kill zombies together! Oh the fun! :)

Well, enough tumblr promotion for now. Lets get to some reviews!

Alexus Loves Writing: Can we just talk about how awesome steak is for a second? It's up there on my top 3 favorite foods of all time, alongside cheesecake and tacos! I was eating a steak as I was finishing this chapter! :D

Doragon-chan: It's not just any food, ITS STEAK! XD

SerenePanic: Bringing Mai back is definitely something I want to do. So, don't worry. I'm on it. ;)

misc-13: You can put the Kleenex box away for this one, I think. ;)

This chapter is brought to you by "Good Time" by Owl City featuring Carly Rae Jepsen. (No joke, this song is my jam right now. I played it over and over for a certain part. And you guys are smart, you'll know when to play this. ;) )

* * *

><p>"I won!" Dark Magician Girl declared.<p>

"No, you didn't!" Dark Magician snapped, "I did!"

"No, I did!" she shot back, fanning herself with her hand of duel monster cards. After dinner, Yugi thought it would be fun to introduce his two monster companions to the game. They selected their cards from Yugi's entire collection and began their game. He now sat on his bed, along with Atem and Jou watching them banter back and forth on the floor about who won.

"You played Flames of the Archfiend!" Dark Magician Girl shouted, "Each player takes 1000 points of life points damage! Since you played it, you take the damage first. Therefore, I win!"

"Wrong as usual." Dark Magician shot back, "I played it, but I played it _at_ you! You're supposed to take the damage first!"

"No!" she turned to Yugi, Atem and Jou "You three play this on a regular basis. How does this work? Who takes the damage first?"

"Actually," Yugi said, "I've never had to play that card." He turned to the other two, "You guys?"

"Never." Atem said.

"Nope." Jou said, "How about we say you take it at the same time? That way you both –"

"NO!" Came a unified response from the monsters that took the three of them by surprise.

"Just because you didn't bother to pick any fiend type cards, doesn't mean I should suffer. If you had one, you could have used that card, and maybe have the winning argument. But seeing as you don't, victory is mine. " Dark Magician said, picking up the Summoned Skull card from the floor and waving it in front of her face.

"Damnit Bones!" she snatched the card from his hand and began wringing it back and forth as if she was strangling someone, "You betrayed me!" She looked back up at her teacher, "And you still didn't win!"

"But you have no life points left!"

"Neither do you!"

"Fine!" Dark Magician yelled, shuffling his deck "We'll have a rematch! We won't count that one!"

"Fine!" she looked at the card in her hands, "Don't you dare get in my way this time!"

Jou looked down at his watch "Hey, I gotta get going now. Everyone's going to be wondering where I went."

"Sure thing. I'll walk you to the door." Yugi said, "Coming Atem?"

Atem looked at the two monsters fighting over their game, then back to Yugi "Absolutely."

They left the room and made their way down to the entrance, the racket upstairs seeming to increase.

"Who knew those two had such a competitive side?" Jou said, "I thought they were going to kill each other if they didn't ask us about that card."

"I don't know." Atem said, "I think its good to have a competitive side. Mana and Mahad hate to lose, and I think winning anything would give them some kind of edge over the other."

"But which one do you think wants to win more?" Yugi asked.

"The one who pulls their staff out to make their point." Atem chuckled.

"Well, I had a great time tonight. Thanks Yug." Jou said, then turning to Atem "And thank you too for not blasting me to bits."

Atem nodded with a smile, "Your actions tonight were truly sincere. You came to make amends for what _you_ did, not for anyone else. And besides," He slung an arm around Yugi's shoulder, pulling him close "I'm not trying to isolate him from his friends. I'm trying to help him get back where he was."

"Well, seeing as this went so well tonight, how about we do it again?" Yugi asked, causing the two of them to look down at him.

"And where is it you would like to go?" Atem asked.

Yugi pondered the question for a moment and then spoke, "The carnival is coming into town tomorrow night. How about we go there?"

"Man, I love the carnival!" Jou exclaimed, calming himself down as he looked back at Atem, "Ya know, if Atem says its okay then-"

"Jou, you don't have to worry about getting into my good books." Atem said, "If Yugi wants you to come, that's fine by me. But please, try not to let Yami know. I don't want him to try and use you to get to Yugi."

"_Well, there goes me explaining the note_." Jou thought to himself. He nodded at the spirit, "Your secret's safe with me. But they'll all wonder where I've been, so I gotta go now. How's 7 at the fairgrounds?"

"Sounds good." Yugi said with a smile, "See you tomorrow night!"

"Later!" Jou said, walking out the door and shutting it behind him. Yugi turned to Atem, amethyst eyes locking with crimson.

"Thanks." He told the spirit.

Atem quirked his head with a smile, "What for, Little One?"

"Not turning Jou away at first sight and giving him a chance." Yugi said.

Atem sighed, keeping his smile "Like I said, I think he was being sincere. And besides, its time that you started making peace with your old friends; and Jou seems like the best place to start."

Yugi nodded, "I'm glad he's trying to play nice with everyone around here too."

"That's true, but I thought he thought I was some kind of lunatic." Atem chuckled, "'Blast him to bits'. What kind of nutcase would-"

He was cut off by an explosion that came from Yugi's bedroom. The two looked at each other with blank expressions on their faces.

"Should we?" Atem asked.

"You first." Yugi told him. Atem jabbed his shoulder playfully, leading them upstairs.

* * *

><p>Jou closed the door to his house behind him. He made his way into the living room and breathed a sigh of relief. Yami had falled asleep on the couch. He spun around to go up to his room when he was met with a pair of giant blue eyes.<p>

"WHAT THE-" Jou started to scream, but Anzu covered his mouth as to not wake Yami. He was still getting used to the fact that everyone had practically moved into his house since Yami had been kicked out of his.

"Where have you been?" She asked, "Do you even know what time it is?"

"Yeah Anzu, I know I'm late." Jou said, "I just went for a little walk."

"Well I'm glad your back because I have something I wanted to run by you." She told him.

He raised an eyebrow, "And that is?"

"Well," she explained, "I've been thinking about a way to get Yami's mind off of everything. And then it hit me."

"What?" Jou aked.

"The carnival!" Anzu exclaimed.

"_Fuck_." Jou thought to himself. How was he supposed to not let Yami know he would be at the carnival with Yugi if they were all going to be there too.

"Umm, don't you think the carnival really isn't Yami's thing?" Jou asked, thinking of any excuse he could to get out of this predicament.

"Exactly!" Anzu said, "He needs a little change now. And it'll be fun. All the games, the rides and the food. He needs this. What do you think?"

"Well, I wish I could go with you guys, but I can't." Jou said.

"Why not?" Anzu asked, "Yami needs you."

"I have to…..Do homework." Jou lied.

"Homework?" Anzu asked skeptically.

"Homework." Jou said, "I'm on strike 2 with my math teacher and if I miss any more deadlines, I'll fail."

Anzu paused for a moment and then sighed. "Alright then."

"_YEAH!_" Jou thought to himself. He was mentally jumping for joy.

"But just in case you change your mind, we're all going to go around 7 and meeting up at the fairgrounds." Anzu said, walking off.

"_AAAAAHHHHH!_" Jou mentally ended up jumping off a cliff.

* * *

><p>Yugi stared up at the ceiling. Try as he might, he couldn't get to sleep He looked around his room. Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl had conjured beds in other rooms that they removed during the day. Atem was sleeping soundly with Yugi and had an arm wrapped around him. Yugi's eyes fell to the deck on his table, an idea forming in his head. He had seen Yami do it before, so why couldn't he?<p>

He gently moved Atem's arm from on top of him and got off the bed. Grabbing the deck and his puzzle, he headed downstairs into the living room where he wouldn't disturb anyone. He sat down on the couch, wrapped the puzzle around his neck and shuffled through the cards until he found the one he wanted. He held it in his hands, but didn't feel anything. He was sure that he would have felt some sort of power course through his veins. He sighed, feeling discouraged at the results so far.

"I know it's late." Yugi said, looking down at the card "But could you come out for a minute? I want to talk to you."

A few seconds past with no change at all. He sighed in defeat and was about to place the card back on top of the deck; when all of a sudden, it began to glow. It floated out of Yugi's hand and hovered in front of his face. His amethyst eyes blinked and covered his face as the card shone brighter. There was a flash of light and when Yugi took his hands away from his face, the card was no longer there. Standing in front of Yugi was the Mystical Elf, looking down at him.

"You called Master?" She asked with a smile.

"Wow." Yugi exclaimed, looking up at her "I actually did it! I didn't think you would come! I didn't think I could do it!"

"Calling me, or any of us, isn't a matter of skill." She told him, still smiling "You wield the Millennium Puzzle, and we in turn serve you, our master." Yugi's cheeks started to flush at her comment. He really found it weird to be called 'Master'. "Now," she knelt down beside him, "What troubles you? Are you injured?"

"No, nothing like that." Yugi replied, "I wanted to thank you. If it weren't for you, I wouldn't be standing here. I owe you my life."

The Mystical Elf placed Yugi's hands in hers, her smile growing even more at his words. "You don't have to thank me Master." She said, "I was just doing my duty."

"Umm, I have another request of you." Yugi said nervously, looking down and shuffling his bare feet on the carpet.

The monster's face steeled as it listened for its orders. "Whatever you desire Master."

"Could you please stop calling me 'Master'?" Yugi asked, looking back up "I understand it's because of this." He gestured to the puzzle hanging around his neck "But when I hear you call me 'Master', I think that you think that I'm someone who will order you around all the time. And I don't want you to think that I'm like that. I don't want to be your master; I want to be your friend. Is that okay?"

She seemed taken aback at first, making Yugi think he offended her. But when she smiled at him, it was his turn to be surprised. "It truly is as Mana and Mahad say. You are a hikari through and through."

The deck on the table began to shine and the cards rose into the air. Yugi watched as they circled the two, flashing with light.

"It seems the others share my opinion, as I knew they would." Mystical Elf said happily, "We know it's not in your character to strut around with arrogance and claim superiority over us. You are kind, gentle, sincere and full of light. And its because of the way you are that we are happy to have you as a master, but even happier to have you as a friend, Yugi."

Yugi smiled and blushed when the monster called him by his name. "You mean it?"

"Of course." She replied, "If you ever need anything. If you're lonely and want company, if something is bothering you and you want someone to talk to, anything at all. That's what friends are for, right?"

Yugi nodded. "Right."

Yugi put his hand to his mouth, covering a yawn. She continued to smile at him, running a hand through his tri-coloured hair. "It's getting late." She said, "You better go back to sleep Yugi."

Yugi nodded. "Thanks again Mystical Elf."

She nodded, glowing white. With a flash, she became a card again. She joined the others spinning around Yugi. He watched as they slowly landed back on top of the table, stacking on top of each other to create his deck. Finally the Mystical Elf landed on top of the deck, which gave one last shine before fading back to normal.

"They're right you know." Came a voice from the other side of the room, making Yugi jump. Yugi turned to see Atem leaning against the doorframe. The spirit was only wearing red, silk pants as he found it more comfortable than sleeping in pajama's like Yugi's. "Light through and through." He said with a smile.

"How long have you been standing there?" Yugi asked.

"Quite a while." Atem replied, joining Yugi on the couch "You didn't think you could call monsters from the deck on your own?"

Yugi shook his head. "I thought back to when Mahad said I don't use the puzzle like you or Yami. And I really wanted to thank her for helping me. I didn't really know if there was anything special that I had to do, so after a while I just asked her to come out."

"That's pretty much how you do it." Atem explained, "And I think Mahad was probably referring to the fact that you don't use the puzzle to crush minds and send people to the Shadow Realm."

"Probably." Yugi laughed.

"Did you really think the monsters thought you were pompous?" Atem asked.

"That's what I think when I hear 'Master'." Yugi replied, "I don't think of someone nice, I think they're cruel. And you know how much I love to read, that's why I'm in my storytelling class. Almost every time I find someone who holds power in a book, they are heartless and treat their servants and workers with no respect. It just made me feel uncomfortable that they called me 'Master'."

"You know, back in my day people called me 'Master'." Atem said, "And I treated my servants with respect and dignity. I wasn't heartless."

"Well Atem, there's always the exception." Yugi joked.

Atem chucked. "Then I believe the same could be said about you. You just said you wanted to be treated as their friend, their equal. Nothing else. You took it a step further than many in your position would. They knew that you would never treat them cruelly, and now that you've denounced your title as 'Master', I believe you've earned their respect on a whole new level."

"Do you think so?" Yugi asked hopefully.

Almost instantly, the deck on the table flashed with light as to answer him. Sparks of every colour flew from the deck and encircled the pair. Yugi looked from the deck back to Atem, eyes wide.

"Well?" Atem asked, grinning.

"I….I don't know what to say!" Yugi said happily.

"Then say nothing for now." Atem said, wrapping an arm around Yugi "Lets just enjoy the show they're putting on for you."

Yugi nodded and curled up on Atem's bare chest, enjoying the heat coming from the spirit. He watched as the colours danced around him until his eyes became heavy. Within minutes, he fell asleep. The sparks stopped and Atem scooped up the hikari in his arms. He grabbed the deck off the table and made his way back to Yugi's room. He placed the deck and the puzzle back onto the table and laid Yugi on top of him, wrapping an arm around his waist and pulling the blankets up. He nodded towards the deck with a smile. It flashed again as Atem fell asleep with Yugi.

* * *

><p>"<em>Okay. Lets see.<em>" Jou thought, pacing his room. He glanced at his clock. 12:00 PM. "_Great. Seven hours until all hell breaks loose. There's gotta be a way I can go to the carnival with Yugi and not be seen by the others._"

"_I can't tell them the truth._" He pondered, "_Yami will go ballistic. I can't show up with Yami because it will upset Yugi. I can't show up with Yugi because it will upset Yami. Oh man. Being the semifinalist in Duelist Kingdom was no problem, so why can't I deal with this?_"

Jou's stomach began to growl and he sighed. "_All this scheming really works up an appetite. I better go eat something before my brain explodes_. _How can guys like Pegasus do this on a regular basis? It's really draining._"

He made his way down to the kitchen, not seeing Yami, Anzu, Honda or Ryou. Ryou had to run meet Kaiba and Malik, and Honda was working at Burger World, so where were the others? It wasn't until Jou approached the fridge that he spotted a large, pink note taped to it.

JOU!

I TOOK YAMI OUT TO DO SOME SHOPPING! HONDA SHOULD BE FINISHED WORK BEFORE WE GET BACK! SO STICK AROUND WITH HIM IF YOU STILL WANNA COME!

ANZU :)

Jou sighed as he opened the fridge, looking for food. The note was just making him feel worse. Then it hit him. He slammed the fridge shut and looked at the note, scanning it over and over again. He gulped, finally coming up with a plan.

"_This could backfire so badly._" Jou thought, "_I just hope it works._"

* * *

><p>"Jou!" Anzu called, closing the door behind her and Yami. "Honda! You home?"<p>

"Guess not." Yami said.

"Well maybe Honda's running late." She said, "And Jou already said he'd be at school."

"That poor guy." Yami said shaking his head, "Anzu, I don't really know about going tonight."

"Come on!" Anzu said, "It'll be fun!"

"I don't know." Yami said sadly, "What if Yugi's there? Maybe Atem's right. Maybe I should give him some space."

"We will!" Anzu insisted, "Just because you want to give him space, doesn't mean you need to avoid him like the plague! And besides, if Yugi's there with Atem, and you back off; Atem will see that as a good sign! Right?"

"When you put it that way, its sounds great." Yami smiled, "Thanks Anzu. You really know how to put things into perspective."

Anzu smiled back, "Sure thing. I'm going to go change for tonight. Wait down here for me okay?"

Yami nodded, "Go for it. We have loads of time."

Anzu made her way up the stairs, her grin getting bigger. She had figured it all out. Tonight was a chance to make Yami feel better, and as an added bonus, show Atem he's willing to give Yugi some space if they showed up.

She opened the door to her room and froze at what she saw.

"WHAT! THE! HELL?" She screamed.

"Anzu!" Yami called, bounding up the stairs towards her, "What happ- Uh oh."

The room was a disaster. Clothes were all over the place. The bed that she had made earlier had sheets and pillows flung everywhere. Her drawers were all open and the contents were emptied to the floor.

Anzu looked all over, horrified, when she spotted something on her bed. She went over and picked it up as Yami continued looking around.

"Should we call the police?" Yami asked.

"Nope." Anzu replied, trembling.

"Why not?" Yami asked.

"Because I know who did this." Anzu held up what she found on her bed. It was a note. She handed it to Yami for him to read.

ANZU,

NEEDED BEER MONEY.

THANKS!

HONDA

"Anzu?" Yami said quietly, looking back up at her.

Anzu took the note back and crumpling it in her fist. "I'm going to kill him." She said, huffing and puffing with a special kind of rage she saved only for Honda.

"Lets not be so hasty Anzu" Yami said, trying to calm her down, "Let's talk to him and find some sort of –"

"Yami," She said, "I cannot guarantee your safety if you get in my way."

Just then they heard the door open and close. "Guys! I'm back from work! Anybody home?" They heard Honda call from downstairs. Anzu cracked her knuckles and moved out of the room so quickly; Yami didn't even have time to say anything.

"_Ra help him_." He prayed as he followed her at a safe distance away.

* * *

><p>Jou walked up to the fairgrounds. He checked his watch. 6:55. He breathed a sigh of relief. No sign of Yami or the others.<p>

"_Honda takes beatings from Anzu all the time_." He thought, "_I'm sure he'll take one more for the team_. _Especially if it means getting Yugi back_."

"Jou!" he heard someone call his name from across the street. He turned to see Yugi, Atem, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl cross the street and walk up to him.

"How's it going guys?" Jou asked.

Yugi looked up at Atem, who smiled back at him. "They're great Jou." He replied.

"Cool." Jou said, "Shall we?"

Yugi nodded, "Lets go!"

They paid for their tickets and entered the carnival. Flashing lights blasted them in every direction. They heard screams from the roller coaster.

"We've gotta go on that!" Dark Magician Girl declared.

"I don't know Mana." Dark Magician said nervously, "It look like-"

"Come on!" she grabbed him by the arm and dragged him into the line. When it was finally their turn, she was seated with Dark Magician, Yugi sat with Atem and Jou sat behind them. It slowly ascended up its first hill. Dark Magician held onto the bars as it blasted down the track while Dark Magician Girl threw her hands up in the air. They all screamed as it spiraled downwards, going two more laps around the track before coming to a stop. Dark Magician headed straight for the nearest trashcan.

"Does he have a weak stomach?" Yugi asked.

"Yeah," Dark Magician Girl replied, "He's kind of scared of heights too. But you didn't hear that from me!"

Once he came back over, they headed to the bumper cars. They all took separate cars as the ride started. Dark Magician took this chance to get back at his student as he slammed into her car over and over.

"Find someone else!" She screamed as she tried to avoid him.

"After the roller coaster? No way!" He replied as he slammed into her once again.

Once they were off the bumper cars, Yugi suggested they try the Ferris Wheel. They all climbed into a cart and were lifted high in the air.

"The city looks so cool from up here!" Dark Magician Girl exclaimed, looking down at the lights of Domino.

"It kind of reminds me of last night." Yugi said.

"What happened last night?" Dark Magician asked, shrinking into a corner of the cart.

"I just made a few friends." Yugi replied, leaning over to Atem, who wrapped his arms around the hikari.

When they came down, they made their way to the games. The group of five approached the booth, where a man was holding a hammer.

"Welcome to Test of Strength!" the man said, "The object of the game is simple. Smash the hammer as hard as you can on this target." He pointed the hammer to a yellow target on the ground. "And aim for the top!" He pointed the hammer to a thermometer with a bell at the top. "Now, who wants to try? Perhaps you?" He pointed the hammer at Jou.

Jou shrugged "Sure!" He said, taking the hammer. He raised it behind his head and swung down towards the target. It rose a little under halfway.

"Not bad! Not bad at all!" The man said. He turned to Yugi. "How about you?"

"Me?" Yugi responded, "I don't think so."

"Oh come on! Its all in good fun!" The man exclaimed, "Tell you what, your two buddies can help you." He gestured to Atem and Dark Magician, "How does that sound."

Yugi took the hammer from Jou. "Okay!" He said. Atem and Dark Magician came up behind him and placed their hands on the handle. Together, the three of them swung it down onto the target. The meter shot fairly higher than Jou's, but not to the top.

"Well, good try!" The man said.

"Hey!" Dark Magician Girl piped up, "What about me?"

"You?" The man laughed, "I think this may be a little too much for a girl like you."

"Oh _really_?" Dark Magician said, taking the hammer from the three guys with a smirk. Jou could have sworn that her hand glowed a bit when she took the hammer. He looked at Yugi, Atem and Dark Magician, who had blank stares at Dark Magician Girl.

"Mana, not a good idea." Dark Magician said.

"Its okay." Dark Magician Girl replied, twirling the hammer in her hand "I got this."

She threw the hammer behind her back and struck the target with a _BOOM_! The meter hit the bell at the top and sent it crashing it down to the ground. The man looked at her with a horrified look on his face.

"Here you go." She said, handing him the hammer "I'll take those gigantic plushies as my prize."

The man, still stunned, grabbed the desired plushies for her.

"Thanks!" She winked at him. She turned to the group standing behind her. "Heads up!" She tossed Jou a turtle, Dark Magician a dragon, Atem a monkey and Yugi a teddy bear. She slung her fairy on her shoulder, "Let's go grab some lemonade!"

* * *

><p>"Are you sure you still want to be here?" Yami asked.<p>

"Yami, right now I need this as much as you." Anzu said, as they received their tickets.

"But what about Honda?" Yami asked, thinking back to the state Anzu had left him in before they left.

"He'll live." She replied, "And besides, we're here to forget about all that crap! Tonight is gonna be great!"

Yami nodded. He really was grateful for her. It didn't matter if it was him or another member of their group, Anzu was always able to put a smile on their faces.

"Hey! Lets go get lemonade!" Anzu suggested. "There's a guy who sits in a giant lemon! Its awesome!"

"A giant lemon?" Yami laughed, "Alright, lets go!"

Anzu led him to the center of the fairgrounds when the giant lemon came into view. She was going to go into line when Yami pulled her back.

"What?" Anzu asked.

"There." Yami pointed to a bench next to the lemon. She blinked and saw Yugi, Atem, Dark Magician, Dark Magician Girl and Jou drinking lemonade and holding giant stuffed animals.

"What is Jou doing here?" Anzu asked, "He's supposed to be at school?"

"No idea." Yami replied.

"And what's he doing with them?" Anzu asked.

"Dunno." Yami replied.

"That's it!" Anzu said, cracking her knuckles "I'm going over there and giving him a piece of my mind!"

"No!" Yami said, jumping in front of her.

"Why?" Anzu asked, flabbergasted.

"Think of it this way." Yami explained, "We're here. Yugi is there. If I don't go over there, it'll show all of them that I'm serious about giving Yugi the space that he needs and putting his interests first."

"But Jou-" Anzu protested.

"Jou has his own reasons for being there." Yami told her, "And believe me, I want to go over there and talk to him. But Atem's there, and right now, we have to do things Atem's way. So we're going to walk by without causing a scene. Okay?"

She sighed in defeat. "Fine." She said.

The two of them past the group of five, catching their attention. Yami gave them a small wave before walking off. Anzu couldn't resist shooting Jou a dirty look before joining Yami.

"What was that all about?" Yugi asked.

"Looks like Yami is finally getting it." Dark Magician Girl said, sipping her lemonade.

"No, not that." Yugi said, turning to Jou "What's up with Anzu? Did you two get into a fight?"

"Well-Uh-You See." Jou stammered. "Funny story about that."

"Go on." Atem said, drumming his fingers together.

"I…didn't exactly let them know I was coming with you." Jou said sheepishly.

"Well, Atem asked you not to." Dark Magician said, "He didn't want Yami using you to get to Yugi."

"Well it gets worse." Jou said, laughing nervously.

"Oh?" Atem asked.

"Yep." Jou said, "Anzu asked me to go with them after you did."

"And you didn't tell them you were going with us?" Yugi asked.

"Pretty much." Jou said.

"That's awkward." Atem said.

"To say the least." Dark Magician added.

"Wait," Yugi said, "What about Honda? He wasn't with them."

"I needed a scapegoat if I was going to meet you here and not run into them." Jou said, half smiling "And you know how he is with Anzu."

"Oh no." Dark Magician Girl gasped, putting a hand to her mouth.

"You didn't." Atem exclaimed, crimson eyes wide.

"He can take it." Jou said, "He does it all the time."

"Here's hoping." Dark Magician said.

"It doesn't matter though." Jou said, looking at Yugi "I'm here for you, Yugi. Not Yami. Not Anzu. You."

/_Wow,_/ Atem said, /_I think he just earned himself a permanent spot in my good books_./

/_Mine too_./ Dark Magician Girl chimed in.

"So," Jou said, raising his lemonade cup "Here's to being friends again, and more awesome nights like these!"

"I'll drink to that!" Dark Magician said, raising his cup.

"Hooray!" Dark Magician Girl, raising hers.

"Absolutely!" Atem chimed in as he raised his.

Yugi looked around at everyone with a smile. He raised his cup with the others. "Cheers!" he said. They clashed their cups together, lemonade spilling onto the bench. Their laughter and conversation lasted all through the night and could be heard from the games booth where Yami sighed in frustration and defeat.


	22. Hospital Update and Chapter 22 Preview

HELLO READERS!

Well, it's been a while, hasn't it? Don't worry though, I haven't forgotten you. It has been a pretty crazy August. Which is why I'm posting this little update to explain the absence of the next chapter of Breaking Point.

Almost all summer, I've been waiting on a surgery. And all through August, I was in and out of the hospital. Until finally, the surgery was performed (Wonderfully) and all was supposed to be well. And it was, until an abscess formed and exploded inside me. That sent me right back to the hospital and I now have a giant tube attached to my side.

Now don't get me wrong. I love writing this and I have no intention of stopping. It's readers and reviewers like you guys that make this as fun as it is. And I don't want you to worry, before I went back into the hospital, I started writing the next chapter. So it is coming, there's no need to worry.

That being said, my health is my number one priority right now. They let me out again just in time for me to go back to school. And that's already kicking my ass. So, while the next chapter is in the works, I need to focus on getting this tube out and getting my life back right now.

I appreciate the patience from you guys, even when my updates seemed like they took an eternity sometimes. So I'm asking that you guys hold out on me for a little longer. I promise, it'll be worth the wait. I'll probably delete this note as soon as I'm back to writing full time, but I wanted you to know what was going on.

I'll see you soon,

- The Controlled Chaos

PS: You know what? To hell with it. Here is a small preview of the chapter that is hopefully coming your way soon.

* * *

><p>"See? Look how awesome it looked!" Marik said, tossing his phone to Bakura. Bakura caught it and started flipping through the pictures Marik took when he was cutting Yugi. Ever since the incident at Jou's, Bakura had moved in with Marik. Malik, having caught his friend's darker half coming into his apartment, hid until it was safe to collect his things and leave for Jou's, who welcomed him with open arms.<p>

"I knew you were sadistic, but this is on a whole other level." Bakura said with a smirk, "Well done."

"Thanks, but I'm not done with them yet." Marik said, "Especially Yugi."

"Oh?" Bakura asked, quirking his head "How are you going to get at them again? Those three will blast you to bits if you go anywhere near him."

"Don't worry about that." Marik said, twirling the Millennium Rod "I have an idea."


	23. Dreams Only Last For a Night

HELLO READERS!

Boy, its been a while, hasn't it? But the good news is the incision from the surgery is almost completely healed and the tube is finally gone! Yay!

I gotta be totally honest wit you. I did not expect the amount of support that I received from all of you. In fact, I checked on the chapter breakdown and your get well wishes outnumbered any chapter's reviews. I cannot tell you how humbled I am by that. You are the reason I keep this story going, and I cannot express how I felt reading those. So, there's not going to be any sort of single review addressing this time. I just want to thank you so much from the bottom of my heart for sticking by me through everything. You'll never know how much it means to me.

Anyway, here's the _very_ long overdue next chapter!

This chapter is brought to you by: "Stay Awake (Dreams Only Last For A Night)" – All Time Low

Chapter 22: Dreams Only Last For A Night

* * *

><p>"Okay." Jou said to himself as he snuck back into his house. He looked around, "Pitch black. They must have all gone to bed. Whew! I'm safe."<p>

"You wish." Came a snarl from across the room.

Jou blinked and a light came on. Anzu and Yami were sitting on the couch, the two of them staring at Jou.

"Uh, hey guys." Jou said with a half grin on his face, "How's it-"

"Oh, shut up!" Anzu said getting off the couch and taking a step towards Jou "What the hell was that?"

"What?" Jou asked.

"You were at the carnival with Yugi!" Anzu said, "You and him are back on speaking terms and you didn't say anything? Did you even think about Yami?"

"Ughn." came a groan from the other room

"SHUT UP HONDA!" Anzu roared, grabbing a picture off the table and chucking it at the source of the noise. It landed with a crash and a painful whine that made Jou shudder.

"So?" Anzu asked.

"So….what?" Jou asked back.

"_So_ what did you tell Yugi?" Anzu fired back, "Did you talk at all about Yami?"

"Yeah, because bringing Yami up with those three around Yugi is the greatest idea. No offence Yami." Jou shot an apologetic look at the spirit.

Yami rose from the couch and stood beside Anzu. "It's alright." He said, "The last thing I want to do is cause more tension between Yugi and I."

"Look, I don't want this to come off as selfish, so here goes." Jou said, taking a deep breath "Before you came along, I wasn't the nicest person to Yugi. I used to be one of the ones who beat him up at school every day. And it wasn't until Yugi got in the way of someone bigger than me kicking my ass that made me realize just how amazing of a person he was, and how good of a friend he is. We've been the best of friends since then, and this whole thing really shook me up. It made me feel like I let him down in the worst way possible. So, I wanted to fix our friendship any way I could, even if it meant sneaking around a bit. I took a trip over to his place and I was able to get in everyone's good books. I just wanted my friend back, and I'm sorry if it offended you at all but I know I did the right thing. Yugi means way too much to me."

Yami placed a hand on Jou's shoulder and gave him a soft smile "I don't blame you at all for that." He said, "In fact, I'm happy that you were able to talk with Yugi and reconnect with him. That means this nightmare is one step closer to being over. And, I'm one step closer to having my light back."

"Well, you'll be happy to know you scored ten all across the board with Atem and the monsters." Jou said with a grin, "They thought you were just going to rush up to them, but you listened to them and gave Yugi some space. They were impressed."

"Really?" Yami asked, his smile growing wider.

"Totally." Jou replied, "Don't worry man. You'll be back with Yugi before you know it."

"I hope you're right." Yami said, gazing out the window at the stars "I really do."

* * *

><p>"See? Look how awesome it looked!" Marik said, tossing his phone to Bakura. Bakura caught it and started flipping through the pictures Marik took when he was cutting Yugi. Ever since the incident at Jou's, Bakura had moved in with Marik. Malik, having caught his friend's darker half coming into his apartment, hid until it was safe to collect his things and leave for Jou's, who welcomed him with open arms.<p>

"I knew you were sadistic, but this is on a whole other level." Bakura said with a smirk, "Well done."

"Thanks, but I'm not done with them yet." Marik said, "Especially Yugi."

"Oh?" Bakura asked, quirking his head "How are you going to get at them again? Those three will blast you to bits if you go anywhere near him."

"Don't worry about that." Marik said, twirling the Millennium Rod "I have an idea."

* * *

><p>"Tonight was so much fun!" Yugi exclaimed, crawling into his bed.<p>

"Yes, we should make a habit of doing things like that more often." Atem said, positioning himself behind the hikari, who snuggled closely.

"And Yami seemed to be good, right?" Yugi asked.

Atem nodded, "He seems like he's finally wrapped his head around the fact that space is what you need."

"So, what do you think?" Yugi asked.

"Are you asking me when I'm going to let him see you?"

Yugi looked up and nervously gave Atem a nod. The spirit let out a small chuckle and ruffled the boy's hair.

"You don't need to worry about offending me, Little One." Atem explained, "It's not up to me, remember? It's up to you. That being said, how would you honestly feel if Yami were here right now? Would you feel comfortable around him like you used to?"

"Well….I'm not sure." Yugi replied.

"My point exactly." Atem explained, "I don't want there to be any sort of doubt in your mind when you finally confront him. So much has happened to you in such a short amount of time that one act of decency on Yami's part, in my opinion, isn't enough to get him back where he was. It's start, but he has a long way to go as far as I'm concerned."

/_And on that note, can we please go to sleep now?/ _Dark Magician Girl said through the mind link, /_Some of us are exhausted!_/

/_Don't talk to him like that!_/ Dark Magician snapped.

/_What?/ _Dark Magician Girl asked, /_Everybody's wiped, right Yugi?/_

"Actually, she's right." Yugi said, with a yawn "I'm pretty tired."

"Hmmm." Atem said with concern glazing his crimson eyes, "Are you sure you're not pushing yourself too hard? I want to make sure you're getting enough rest."

"Its okay Atem." Yugi said reassuringly, "It was just a bit of a late night, that's all."

"Alright then." Atem said, "Sleep well my hikari."

/_Goodnight everyone!_/ Yugi said.

Atem turned off the lamp on the nightstand and the four fell asleep.

* * *

><p><em>Yugi opened the door of to the house and stepped inside. As he closed it, he noticed a distinct smell thoughout the house. The smell of blood. He took a few steps through the house when he noticed a pool of blood in the doorway into the kitchen. He slowly followed the pool into the kitchen. He put his hands over his mouth to try and cover his gasp. Dark Magician Girl was lying on the floor, lifeless, blood oozing out of her back.<em>

"_Mana!" Yugi screamed, running to her side "What happened to you?"_

_Yugi started to cry over her until he noticed blood trickling down from the ceiling. He looked up and jumped back with another scream. Dark Magician was hung up by knives, a crimson rain beginning to pour._

_He ran into the living room. He needed to get some help for his friends. But the living room was the worst place for him to go. The room was littered with bodies. Jou, Anzu, Mai, Honda, Grandpa, Ryou and Malik. Everywhere he turned, there was a new corpse, a new friend that was lost. He put a hand to his mouth to try and breathe through the overwhelming smell of blood. He took a few steps back, observing the horrifying scene before him. How could this have happened? And who could have done this?_

_A few more steps back and he stumbled over something, sending him falling to the ground. Yugi screamed at the sight of Atem's body, his deep crimson eyes now lifeless._

"_Yugi?" Came a voice from behind the boy._

_Yugi turned around to see Yami stumbling into the doorway. Yugi carefully got up as to not disturb any of the bodies. He turned to face his darker half, but before he could say anything, Yami opened his mouth._

"_Run." He choked._

_A blade impaled Yami from behind, going straight through his heart. Yami let out a half scream before collapsing in front of his light. As he fell, Yugi's eyes widened as his attacker came into view._

"_Hello Yugi." Marik said, pulling the Millennium Rod out of Yami's corpse._

"_Marik!" Yugi cried, "Why did you do this?"_

"_What? All this?" Marik asked, looking around the room at Yugi's fallen loved ones "I didn't do any of this. _You _did."_

"_Me?" Yugi asked, "But I didn't-"_

"_You are the reason none of them are here now." Marik told the boy "If only you hadn't kept your distance from everyone, you could have warned them about me. You could have told them what I helped you do. But you didn't. Their blood may be on my hands, but it's on yours as well. "He pointed at Yugi, "Maybe even more."_

"_No." Yugi whispered, trying to find his voice._

"_Look around." Marik went on, "If you had just gone back to your friends, than none of this would have happened. They would have been aware of what was coming their way. But you didn't', and now they're all gone. And now you're all alone."_

"_But it's okay." Marik said, taking a step toward Yugi "I intend to fix that for you."_

_He snapped his fingers and Yugi let out a blood-curdling scream. From beneath his clothing, every single cut began to slowly re-open, blood pouring out of his skin. He found himself powerless before the pain and dropped down to his knees as the word 'WORTHLESS' was once again carved into his back. He kept on screaming until he went hoarse and grabbed fistfuls of his hair to try and cope with this new found agony. Marik stood over the boy and tilted his chin so his horrified face was on display, tears falling down his face._

"_Give my regards to your darker halves and their servants." Marik said, twirling the Millennium Rod in his hand "They were almost able to keep you safe, almost able to keep you from me. But understand this. No matter what shields they put up to defend you, I will shatter them like glass. No matter what swords block my path, I will snap them like twigs. No matter what they do," He raised the rod above his head "You will always be helpless against me."_

_And in one swift motion, the Millenium Rod pierced Yugi's heart. The boy fell to the floor, the sound of Marik's laughter ringing in his ears._

* * *

><p>"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHH!" Yugi screamed, shooting out of Atem's arms to the other side of the bed. His scream woke up the rest of the house. Atem's eyes shot open and with flashes of pink and purple, Dark Magician and Dark Magician Girl were standing beside the bed, clad in armor and staves in hand.<p>

"Yugi, what's wrong?" Atem asked, extending an arm out to the boy, but it only made Yugi move farther away.

"P-Please don't." Yugi begged, tears pouring from amethyst eyes. He held his head in his hands, trembling.

"Alright." Atem said, apologetically pulling his arm back "What happened? Did you have a nightmare?"

"I killed you all." Yugi mumbled.

"You what?" Atem asked.

"I killed you all!" The hikari cried, "You were all dead and it was my fault!"

"But you didn't kill us!" Dark Magician Girl said, waving her hand in front of her "We're all still here!"

"And besides," Dark Magician added, "It's not in your nature to kill. You're a being of light. I doubt you could do us any harm if you tried."

"It wasn't just you three!" Yugi said, "Everyone! And it was all my fault!"

"Perhaps it would help us if you showed it to us." Atem suggested, "Could you play what you saw for us through the mind link?"

Yugi shook his head, "I don't-I can't. I-I-"

"It's alright Yugi." Atem said calmly, "You didn't do anything to us. It was just a nightmare."

Yugi just silently shook his head. He let go of his hair and locked teary amethyst eyes with a concerned pair of crimson.

"You think it was more than a nightmare?" Atem asked, earning a nod from Yugi "What do you mean?"

"Marik." Yugi whispered.

Dark Magician's eyes widened and he turned to his apprentice, whose face shared the same expression. Atem narrowed his eyes slightly.

"Marik was in your dream?" Atem asked. Yugi nodded again. Atem sighed mentally. He had never had this sort of trouble calming Yugi down. And he had been able to in much more difficult scenarios. So why was this so difficult?

"What did he do?" Atem asked carefully.

"He-I…." Yugi stumbled over words before bringing a hand to his mouth. These three had seen him through too much. The worst part is that he woke them all up. He shook his head and looked back down, trying to block the images from his mind.

"Atem," Dark Magician said, "Could you come with me for a minute?"

"What, now?" Atem replied, "This isn't really the best time Mahad."

"Please," Dark Magician said, gesturing to the hallway "Now may be the best time."

"Alright." He said with a sigh. He turned back to Yugi "I'll be gone for a minute. But you won't be alone. Mana isn't going anywhere."

Yugi, still looking at the bed, nodded as Atem and Dark Magician rose. Atem looked at Yugi once more as he exited into the hallway, followed by the monster. Dark Magician Girl took Atem's place on the bed.

"Yugi," She said, "Look at me."

The small boy quivered before looking up at the monster. She held out her hands for him to take. He looked down at her hands and started to shake his head violently. The sight of Yugi looking this traumatized was giving her flashbacks of when she found him bleeding on the bathroom floor, and it was breaking her heart.

"Look at me Yugi." she said with a little more force in her voice. This caused Yugi to look at her again. She took a chance and grabbed his hands. Yugi tried to squirm away, but he knew she wasn't going to let go. She slowly drew circles on his palms with her thumbs.

"Feel that?" Dark Magician Girl asked. Yugi looked back down at their hands. He looked back up at her and nodded, "I wouldn't be able to do that if I was dead, right? And I wouldn't be here talking to you if I was dead, right? I'm here, alive, and I'm with you. I know you wouldn't do anything to hurt me. We're friends, and I just want you to know I'll help you anyway I can."

Yugi couldn't take it anymore. He launched himself into her arms and wrapped his arms around her, sobbing. She almost lost her balance when Yugi jumped onto her, but she regained it and returned the hug.

"It's okay." She said, holding him close, "I'm not going anywhere."

Then, with strength Yugi didn't think she had, Dark Magician Girl picked him up and stood. Yugi held her tighter in fear of falling. Dark Magician Girl smiled and shook her head.

"I've got you." She assured, "You won't fall."

Dark Magician Girl placed them both back in the bed and pulled the covers up. She gently ran a hand through his hair, slowing his breathing a little. He tried to shut his eyes, but the moment he did, his nightmare played until he opened them.

"I can't make it stop." He said weakly.

"Its okay." She said, "I'll keep you safe._ We'll_ keep you safe."

When she was sure she could do it without Yugi noticing, she shot a look to the doorway, where Atem and Dark Magician were waiting.

"See?" Dark Magician said, "I knew it would work."

"Okay." Atem said, "You were right about too many of us being in there overwhelming Yugi. I would have hoped we could skip the nightmare phase, but it seems like that won't be happening. Marik couldn't be doing this, could he Mahad?"

"The Millennium items wield tremendous power." Dark Magician explained, "It wouldn't be outside the realm of possibility that Marik is behind this."

"Even after everything he's put Yugi through," Atem said, curling his fist "Assaulting him in his sleep? Despicable. The question is what to do now. I could have infiltrate Yugi's mind to see the nightmare for myself, but doing so when Yugi's this distressed may harm both of us. And Yugi's been through far too much already. What do you think?"

"I think," Dark Magician said, "Maybe this isn't up to us to fix."

"What do you mean?" Atem asked.

"I'm saying that maybe we aren't the ones who can help him now." Dark Magician said.

"I don't understand what-" Atem started to say, but then it dawned on him. "No. No way. Not yet. We are not bringing Yami into this."

"Atem, think about how he acted tonight at the carnival." Dark Magician protested, "He kept his distance when he saw us."

"Only after we kept pushing him to that distance!" Atem shot back.

"Maybe that's all he needed." Dark Magician said, "You know how stubborn he can be. He was created from your image after all."

Atem rolled his eyes "And?"

"And I think that we should grant him a _small_ reward by letting him help Yugi." Dark Magician said, "Yugi said that he was responsible for everyone's deaths in his dream. That probably includes Yami."

Atem sighed in defeat "Fine." He snapped his fingers and his regular Egyptian attire appeared on him. "Let's get this over with."

Dark Magician placed a hand on Atem's shoulder and tapped the ground with his staff. The two were engulfed in purple light and shot through the roof.

* * *

><p>"Flame Swordsman in attack mode!" Jou said with a grin, plaing a card on the floor. He and Yami were playing Duel Monsters in the living room.<p>

"You never learn do you?" Yami asked, grinning right back "You've activated my trap card!"

But before Yami could flip the card over, a purple light illuminated the room, blinding the two. Yami and Jou put their hands in front of their eyes. When the light died down, Atem and Dark Magician were standing in the room.

"Guess you two aren't the knocking type, huh?" Jou said, eyes wide at the display of magic.

"Sorry Jou, but its an emergency." Atem said, turning to Yami "Yugi needs you."

"What's wrong?" Yami asked. He rose to meet them, followed by Jou.

"We think that Marik is somehow using the Millennium Rod to attack Yugi in his dreams." Atem explained, "He woke up an absolute wreck. Mana is with him now."

"And you need me?" Yami asked.

Atem nodded "Yugi is convinced that he's killed all of us. For his sake, I'd like for you to come with me and show him that his nightmare was just that."

"I'll go with you." Jou said.

"Jou, I'd say yes but the fewer people there, the better." Atem said

"Alright then, let's go!" Yami said anxiously.

"Not just yet." Atem said, taking a step towards Yami "I'm taking a huge risk letting you near Yugi this early after what's happened. Especially after everything you've done. If I get the impression that you are trying to anything other than calm Yugi down, if you try and persuade him to make things go back to normal, I'll have you sent back here like that. Understand?"

Yami nodded "I understand."

"Good. Let's get moving then." Atem said, grabbing onto Dark Magician "Mahad?"

Dark Magician nodded. Atem placed his hand on Yami's shoulder. He tapped the ground with his staff and the three began to glow purple. In a flash, they were gone, leaving Jou all by himself.

"Hang on Yug." Jou said quietly, "They're coming."

* * *

><p>They landed in the hallway of Yugi's house with a flash. Atem moved away from Dark Magician and took a step towards Yami.<p>

"Remember what I said." Atem warned.

"Alright already!" Yami said irritably "Can we just go see him?"

"Hmph." Atem said before leading the three of them into Yugi's bedroom. Dark Magician Girl was still cradling Yugi, whose face was buried in her shoulder. He was doing his best to block everything out and calm down, but to no avail.

"Mana, we're back." Atem declared.

"Well it took you long enough!" Dark Magician Girl said quietly as not to startle Yugi, "All you were doing was waiting out in the hall! What took you so-_Whoa_." She said when she saw Yami come into view. She looked back to Atem, "What's going on?"

"Not my idea Mana." Atem replied.

She glared at her master and was about to say something when she felt Yugi shuffle below her. Her eyes darted down to the mess of tri-coloured hair as it turned to face the three newcomers in the room.

"Atem, Mahad, where did you g-" He froze when his eyes found Yami. His breath hitched and he gripped Dark Magician Girl tightly; not out of fear, but surprise.

"Yami, why are you here?" Yugi asked.

"I'm here because you need me." Yami answered calmly, "I heard you had a nightmare, so Atem and Mahad brought me here to see if I could help you."

Yugi lowered his head, "I'm sorry. You shouldn't have been called here over something so stupid as a bad dream."

"Yugi," Yami said, taking a slow step towards his light as to not frighten him "Nightmares bother everyone, not just you. And sometimes it helps if you talk to people about it."

"I know," Yugi said shamefully, "But-"

"Think about all of the nightmares you've shared with me before." Yami said, kneeling at the bed "Do you remember when your grandfather's soul was taken? You dreamt Pegasus tore the card that housed his soul to pieces."

Yugi nodded, fighting back tears from that particular dream.

"What about in Battle City? The duel with Jou at the docks?" Yami continued, "You kept having nightmares about when you were pulled underwater. You dreamt that you drowned, and that Marik got his hands on the puzzle and the god card in your deck."

Yugi nodded again, wiping his eyes and trying to hide his tears. Atem growled at the sound of Marik's name. Dark Magician Girl pulled Yugi into a tighter hold at the mention of the second nightmare.

"And do you remember what you did?" Yami asked, holding out his hand for the boy to take. Atem watched carefully from behind Yami.

Yugi slowly brought his trembling hand forward. It was inches away from Yami's when Yugi pulled back slightly.

"I don't know if I can do it Yami." Yugi said, tears starting to fall from his face again.

"I know you can do it." Yami said reassuringly. Atem was about to say something, but Dark Magician put a hand up to silence him.

Yugi felt like his hand was stuck in place, unable to bring it back or forth. It wasn't until he finally looked up at Yami and saw his eyes. A pair of crimson that was with him from the beginning when he completed the puzzle. The same pair that stayed with him through all his trials and dangers up until the Ceremonial Duel where they were finally separated. The same pair that showed him compassion and kindness, and was able to give him strength and courage in his darkest hours.

Yugi took a deep breath and swallowed as he brought his tiny hand into Yami's. Yugi tried to keep his breathing steady as this was the first time he had come into contact with Yami in a long time. The darker half, sensing this fear, brought his other hand to rest on top of Yugi's. He ran his fingers over Yugi's hand in a soothing motion. Yami looked back to Atem, who was still staring, but nodded for him to continue.

"I won't hurt you." Yami said, turning back to his light "I promise."

"I know." Yugi said.

"So, do you think you could show us your dream now?" Yami asked.

Yugi nodded slowly, "I want you to see it too, so I'm going to reopen our mind link." Yugi looked from Yami to Atem, "Is that okay?" he asked nervously.

"Yugi, you know I won't be upset with you." Atem said kindly, "If you want Yami to see it as well, then go ahead and open the mind link."

Yugi smiled softly at the ancient spirit. Dark Magician Girl grabbed the Millennium Puzzle from the nightstand and placed it around Yugi's neck. Then she picked up her staff and slashed it slowly through the air, sending a ball of pink light into the deck.

"What was that for?" Dark Magician asked.

"You'll see." Dark Magician Girl replied, looking back down at Yugi "Go ahead."

Yugi quickly shut his eyes, the nightmare coming back to him. He opened them as quick as he could as soon as he was finished, his breathing falling into chaos once more.

"It's open again." Yugi said, trying to regain control of his breathing again.

"Okay, now just remember what we used to do." Yami said, "It'll be just like before, but instead of telling me about your dream, you're going to show it to all of us through your mind links. And when you get to a difficult part, squeeze my hand, okay?"

"I'm scared." Yugi said fearfully.

"I know." Yami said, squeezing his light's hand softly "But I know you can do it. So be brave. The four of us are here, and we'll make sure you're okay."

Yugi nodded and slowly shut his eyes. He took a deep breath and the puzzle around his neck began to glow gold. He concentrated as he fed his dream to the others, flinching slightly as he relived it with them.

"No." Yugi mumbled as he found Dark Magician Girl's body on the floor again. Dark Magician Girl gasped when she saw this. Yugi was quick to squeeze Yami's hand as the dream continued. He whimpered as he looked up at Dark Magician's body suspended by knives on the ceiling. Dark Magician remained silent as the image raced through his mind. Yugi squeezed Yami's hand again, but this time, Yami squeezed back.

"You're doing great." Yami said, "Keep going."

Yugi continued through the dream, entering the living room and finding his friends and family dead. He let out a small cry as he once again tripped over Atem's corpse. Atem remained quiet as well, musing over what he was seeing. Yugi squeezed tighter than before, Yami matching the pressure.

"I can't do it!" Yugi cried.

"Be brave Yugi." Yami said gently.

Yugi nodded, tears beginning to fall from his face as the nightmare continued. He brought his other hand overtop Yami's and kept squeezing as he saw Yami die in the dream. Marik took a step closer, spoke to Yugi and raised his Millennium Rod. Yugi held back a scream as the dream came to an end, with the Rod in his heart. But this time, Yugi was able to keep his breathing under control. The puzzle's light died down as the dream ended and Yugi opened his eyes.

"Thank you Yami." Yugi whispered, "You gave me courage."

"No Yugi," Yami said, shaking his head "You had the courage the whole time. All I did was help you find it. And thank you for showing us your dream, that couldn't have been easy for you. But look around you," Yami gestured to Atem and the monsters, "We are all still here, alive. And we're not going anywhere. We'll keep you safe, I promise."

Atem let out a small 'Hmph' that earned him a swat on the arm by Dark Magician.

"But what about Marik?" Yugi asked, "What about what he said?"

"Marik is a lunatic." Yami replied, "You can't take anything he says seriously. And like I said, we won't let him come near you again."

"Now, I think its time you went back to sleep." Yami said, slowly unlinking his hands from Yugi's.

"I wish I could." Yugi said, "But every time I close my eyes, I see the dream again."

Almost as if on cue, the deck flashed blue. The five of them watched as a ball of blue light shot from the deck and into the hand of Dark Magician Girl. When the light died down, all that remained was a silver flask.

"I thought that may be an issue," she explained, "So I sent a message to the Mystical Elf asking her to make this. A few sips of this and you're in for a dreamless sleep."

She handed the bottle to Yugi who took it and unscrewed the top. He looked from the bottle to Yami.

"Will I get to see you again soon?" Yugi asked.

"You'll see me soon enough." Yami replied.

"Promise?" Yugi asked.

"Of course." Yami replied with a smile, "Now, you should drink that and get some rest."

Yugi returned the smile and brought the flask to his lips. He began to take a few sips and started to feel drowsy He soon found it difficult to keep his eyes open and used the last of his strength to move the flask away from his mouth.

"Goodnight Yugi." Yami said as the amethyst eyes in front of him shut and Yugi fell into a dreamless sleep. Yami took the flask from Yugi's hand and the puzzle from his neck. He set them both on the nightstand and got to his feet.

"I gotta hand it to that elf," Dark Magician Girl said, "She really knows her stuff. You were pretty good too Yami."

"I have to say I was impressed." Dark Magician added, "You succeeded where we failed."

"It was just a trick I used to use when Yugi had nightmares." Yami said truthfully.

"But it worked." Atem said, "Because of you, Yugi was able to show us his nightmare. Thank you Yami."

"Don't mention it." Yami said, "I was happy to help."

"Plus, you touched Yugi without him freaking out." Dark Magician Girl said, "That's a pretty big step."

"Yeah." Yami said, her comment lightning his heart.

"One step at a time, alright?" Atem said with a small smile on his face.

"Right." Yami nodded.

"Good." Atem said, "Mahad?"

Dark Magician nodded and placed a hand on Yami's shoulder. He was about to tap his staff to the ground when Yami spoke up.

"So what do we do about Marik?" Yami asked.

"We'll deal with him when the time comes." Atem replied, "_All_ of us."

Yami nodded with a smile. Atem returned the gesture and Dark Magician tapped his staff to the ground and with a flash, they were gone. Atem walked over to Yugi, fast asleep and still wrapped in Dark Magician Girl's arms.

"Sleep well my hikari." Atem said, running a hand through Yugi's hair.

"Yami." Yugi mumbled softly in his sleep.

* * *

><p>Marik growled, the glow from the Millennium Rod dying down to nothing. His growl turned into a scream as he threw his item across his room.<p>

"Just you wait, Yugi." He snarled, "I'm not done with you yet."


	24. THE END OF BREAKING POINT! (AN)

HELLO READERS!

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Is that a new hairstyle? Have you lost weight? You look good!

It has been absolutely INSANE since I last checked in with you guys. After the surgery, there were a few complications here and there. On top of that, I was entering my final year of college and working 3 jobs on the side. Since I graduated in April I moved into a bigger city and landed myself an internship. I finished it in July and have been freelancing ever since. Needless to say, my life has been a little hectic.

But that doesn't mean I forgot about this. I just haven't been able to tap into whatever it was that I had before. Remember the good old days when I could churn out 2 or 3 chapters a week? That was fun times and I miss it. So, I started writing again (Aside from all of the rp I do on tumblr) to try and get back into the swing of things. And I think I've finally managed to get back into that place where I used to be.

So here's what's going to happen.

I've looked back at my original plot for Breaking Point and I think that I can get this thing finished in 4 chapters. Which brings me to how I'm going to do this. Some of you might know that November is also NaNoWriMo, which stands for _National Novel Writing Month_. For me, it's going to be _National Get This Fic Done Month_. That's right. My goal is to have Breaking Point completed by the end of November. That's a chapter a week!

But wait. It gets better.

I can't remember if I posted this or not, but I've been writing the next chapter already. And if I can swing it, I'm going to have it done for **November 1****st**. That's right. 12 days until the (Alleged) new chapter is uploaded.

Looking back on this, it's been kind of crazy. Breaking Point was only ever intended to be a oneshot. I wrote it because I was going through kind of what Yugi was going through and I used it as a way to cope. But you guys liked it so much and you asked for more. I couldn't believe all the incredible reviews and kind words you left me. It was all very unexpected and appreciated.

Right now, I just waned to take a moment and thank the following people: dreamer1821, SerenePanic, Live-Laugh-Love-Till-The-End, D. L. Sauron- AlmightyLOTRnerd, SetoKaiba4Life, TheIrritableNerd, Crazy-Queen-of-Games-In-Secret, ReveilleWolfie, CherryBlossomWis, Doodlez1996, LatyfeSurLeSora, Sapphire-sama Dreamer, Dragonkiller12012, Passing-The-Fallen-Star, SangoMarie and KaiFudo16. You all left me such incredible messages as I was recovering from my surgery. It was really touching and I constantly found myself looking back to them. I'm not sure how many of you will see this as it's been a while, but I just wanted to say thank you. :)

So that's all from me for now. I'm also going to be uploading the first chapter of a new fic I've been writing, just so you guys have something of mine as Breaking Point is being completed.

Take care and I'll see you soon!

- TCC


End file.
